A teaching professional who sexually assaulted a 16-year-old pupil and ordered him to bring a gun into school to shoot a colleague has been jailed for four years.

Imagine Kay Ewer, 28, preyed on the teenager, who has special educational needs, and had “frequent sexual encounters” with him over a period of several weeks.

A court heard Ewer was in a position of trust, something she abused when she exploited the child for money and led him into believing he was “the one”. She also sent the victim “thousands upon thousands upon thousands” of text messages saying that she wanted the victim to bring a gun to their sexual encounters and to school to shoot another faculty member in the leg.

But the behaviour came to light when another teacher at the school in Lakewood, Colorado, noticed “inappropriate writing” on one of the student’s worksheets and they reported it to authorities. Ewer was sentenced last month after pleading guilty to sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in the first degree. Three other felony counts and one misdemeanor were dismissed in exchange for her guilty plea.

During the sentencing hearing, the victim’s mother told the court: “The defendant preyed on my son, leading him to believe she genuinely cared for him, all while exploiting him for money and manipulating him into thinking he was ‘the one’.

“What makes this even more painful is that I trusted the defendant. Had I known what was truly happening, I would never have allowed her such close access to him.”

Ewer will now be on the Sex Offenders Register for between ten years and life, a term decided by probation upon her release from jail in 2029, reports PEOPLE.

The court heard police noticed Ewer’s “favoritism” towards almost immediately when they launched their probe in late 2023. Her relationship with him began in September that year and only ended in November after the other teacher raised concerns.

Detectives discovered “evidence of frequent sexual encounters, constant digital communication, inclusive of repeated derogatory remarks directed at the victim, and the introduction of drugs, alcohol, and weapons,” a police statement said.

Speaking during the sentencing hearing, Ewer, who had worked in education for eight years before her arrest, said: “I just want to apologise to the victim and the victim’s family. I’m really sorry; this will never happen again.”

Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories