“I am a good and genuine person who made a mistake and regret it deeply.”
A teacher who sexually abused her 13-year-old student has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Brittany Zamora groomed and raped the teenage boy from Las Brisas Academy, Arizona, on multiple occasions, once in a classroom while another 11-year-old student kept watch.
The 28-year-old was arrested in March of last year. She pleaded guilty to sexual conduct with a minor, attempted molestation of a minor, and public sexual indecency.
AZ Central reports that Zamora was sentenced to 20 years in prison with credit for the 478 days she has already spent behind bars.
She issued an apology to the victims, their families, and her own family today, saying that she is “not a threat to society.”
“I am a good and genuine person who made a mistake and regret it deeply,” she said. “I lived my life respecting and trying to obey every law. I’m not a threat to society by any means.”
The 13-year-old boy’s mother said that Zamora’s mind is “sick” and “foul” and that she deserves “to leave prison when you are too old to bear children.”
“She tried to groom my child into believe this behaviour is OK,” she said. “She’s a true definition of a child predator.”
Zamora began grooming the boy by sending him suggestive texts on a school messaging app.
These later became nude photos before the teacher sexually molested the 13-year-old in a classroom while other students watched an educational video.
The witness who had been asked to keep watch later told police: “They were just doing it. It was very uncomfortable.”
“It’s, like weird how a 27-year-old can, like, love a 13-year-old and do stuff. It’s just crazy. She’s not a good person.”
Zamora has said that she would like to avail of counselling sessions in prison.