Erin Osmond, teacher accused of sexual exploitation, hears final arguments

Final arguments have concluded in the trial of a 29-year-old teacher charged with sexual exploitation of a Watrous, Sask. high school student. 

Erin Osmond is accused of having a sexual relationship with a former student. The court heard that she began a romantic relationship with a then 16-year-old student that lasted for several months. 

Osmond and the student began texting each other over the Christmas break. The texts eventually became sexual.

​Osmond stopped teaching at the school Feb. 15, 2013, when her full-time substitute teaching contract expired. During the last week she taught at the school, Osmond and the student kissed twice.

A day after she finished teaching at the school, Osmond texted the student saying, "slow and intimate ... I hope we get to do it over and over again."

The pair would go on to have a sexual affair roughly one month later.

During final arguments, defense lawyer Leslie Sullivan argued Osmond was not in a position of trust and authority over the student when the pair had sex, because they were no longer in a teacher/student relationship.

"If one was to remove the relationship of teacher-student, this would be a relationship between two consensual adults," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said Osmond never 'groomed' the student to have sex with her. She said the student often initiated contact between the two, and that the relationship was mutual.

"She lost her mind because she was in love," Sullivan said. "He was the one looking to score with his teacher."

The prosecution disagreed, and said that the relationship began while Osmond was the teen's teacher, and continued from there. The crown argued that Osmond used the relationship to gain the alleged victim's trust.

The crown also argued that Osmond used the relationship to "fill a gap" that was left by her failing marriage.

Final arguments will be heard May 25.

CBC Reporter David Shield was tweeting live from the courthouse. View his tweets below.