About 20 witnesses are set to give evidence when a trainee teacher fights charges alleging she had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a Canberra school student, a court has heard.
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Petra Shasha, 26, faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday, having previously pleaded not guilty to charges of child grooming, committing an act of indecency on a child, and using a carriage service to transmit indecent material to a child.
Shasha's solicitor, Rachel Fisher, said those pleas were maintained and asked for the matter to be set down for a hearing.
Ms Fisher indicated barrister Margaret Jones SC would represent Shasha.
Prosecutor Sam Bargwanna agreed with Ms Fisher's estimate of about five days for the hearing, informing the court of the large number of witnesses to be called.
Magistrate Louise Taylor ultimately fixed the hearing to start on May 15 next year.
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Shasha has been before the court since February, when detectives from ACT Policing's sexual assault and child abuse team arrested her during a search of a Gowrie home.
She had been under investigation for the previous two months after police received a report alleging she had an inappropriate relationship with a male student.
The investigation resulted in Shasha being hit with the three charges, which allege crimes committed as far back as late 2020.
She spent a night in custody before being granted bail, with conditions that include bans on going to St Edmund's College, St Clare's College and Canberra Girls Grammar School.
Shasha will remain on conditional liberty ahead of next year's hearing.
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