The future of a newborn baby fathered by a 13-year-old boy remains shrouded in uncertainty after the child's married music teacher mother admitted to repeatedly raping the teenage student before becoming pregnant. Naomi Tekea Craig, a 33-year-old mother of one who worked at an Anglican school in Mandurah, south of Perth, sexually abused the student over a distressing 14-month period.
Pattern of Abuse and Legal Proceedings
The disturbing abuse began when the victim was just 12 years old and only concluded last December when authorities arrested Craig and charged her with multiple child abuse offences. She gave birth to the boy's child on January 8, and last Tuesday she entered guilty pleas to 15 separate offences in Mandurah Magistrates Court. Craig now awaits sentencing in the District Court at a later date, facing the prospect of a substantial prison term.
Potential Prison Sentence and Mother-Baby Arrangements
In Western Australia, child sex offences carry maximum penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment. If Craig receives a custodial sentence, the state maintains limited and tightly-controlled provisions that might allow mothers to care for infants while incarcerated. Bandyup Women's Prison, a medium-security facility located in Perth's south-east, operates a dedicated mother and baby unit where infants can reside with their mothers until reaching 12 months of age.
However, approval for such arrangements is far from automatic. Corrective Services conducts individual assessments for each case, carefully weighing the nature of the offence against whether the arrangement serves the child's best interests. Women convicted of offences against children are generally considered ineligible for Western Australia's mother and baby prison programs, with child safety concerns typically outweighing the benefits of maintaining mother-child contact during custody.
Alternative Care Scenarios
Should the baby not be permitted to remain with Craig behind bars, alternative care arrangements would become necessary. In many similar situations, children are placed with the other parent, but since the father is himself a minor, authorities would need to involve his parents extensively. While the teenage father may possess some legal standing to seek parenting orders in future proceedings, any arrangement would rely heavily on adult support, with courts prioritising the infant's welfare above all other considerations.
Judges remain acutely aware of the risk of re-traumatising child victims and typically demonstrate reluctance to place caregiving responsibilities on teenagers who have already endured significant abuse. One plausible outcome involves Craig's parents being asked to assume temporary care of their grandchild while their daughter serves any custodial sentence. If no suitable family placement can be identified, the Department of Child Protection would intervene, placing the baby in temporary foster care until Craig's potential release.
Sentencing Considerations and Bail Conditions
There exists the possibility that Craig might avoid imprisonment altogether. Courts can consider the impact of incarceration on dependent children when determining appropriate sentences, and in some instances this has resulted in suspended sentences or community-based orders rather than custodial terms. Craig is represented by prominent Perth lawyer Reid Hogan and will be required to attend court in person during March.
To secure bail, Craig was required to provide $20,000 personally, with an additional $50,000 surety. Her bail conditions will continue until the next court mention. Following Tuesday's court proceedings, Craig's husband emerged briefly to drop their older son at her parents' residence. Craig faces strict court orders prohibiting unsupervised contact with anyone under 18, including her eldest child, with the sole exception being her newborn infant.
Disturbing Background Details
Daily Mail previously revealed that days before the sexual abuse commenced, Craig actively encouraged her victim to form a close bond with her son. Disturbing video footage obtained by the publication showed the schoolboy, then aged 12, sitting at a small toddler table beside Craig's pre-school age child as they engaged in colouring activities together. The pair appeared relaxed and familiar, happily exchanging crayons in what appears to be a doctor's waiting room setting, with the boy affectionately referring to his teacher's son as 'little bro'.
The complex legal and ethical questions surrounding this case will continue to unfold as sentencing approaches, with multiple agencies now involved in determining the most appropriate outcomes for all affected parties, particularly the vulnerable newborn child caught in this tragic situation.
