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Australia

Child grooming charge against South Australian teacher Ammy Singleton dropped

Charges have been dropped against a female relief teacher who was accused of grooming a 16-year-old boy for sex.

Ammy Singleton, 28, was charged with communicating to make a child amenable to sexual activity at Port Augusta last year.

But on Wednesday, the Port Augusta Magistrates Court heard the complainant no longer wanted to proceed with the charges and the case against her was dropped.

Ms Singleton was a relief teacher at several schools in Port Augusta.

But the court previously heard the allegations had nothing to do with Ms Singleton’s job as a teacher.

“The [alleged victim] … a 16-year-old young male … ​​became aware of Ms Singleton from a picture taken of her without her knowledge at the club,” Ms Singleton’s lawyer Andrew Fowler-Walker told the court in May.

“[The alleged victim] then obtained details of a chat room from his friends.

“In no way was he ever taught by Ms Singleton.”

Earlier this year, the principals of the Port Augusta West, Augusta Park and Flinders View primary schools sent letters to parents advising them that Ms Singleton, who taught each as a temporary relief teacher, had been charged with a child sex offence.

All the letters stated that no students at those schools were involved in the alleged offending.

Under Ms Singleton’s bail conditions she was banned from engaging in any child-related work.

ABC News has contacted the Department for Education for a response.

Ms Singleton did not comment as she left court.

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Teacher Ammy Singleton leaves Port Augusta court

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US

University professor fired after police charge him for murder of student

ATLANTA (CBS46/Gray News) – A university in Georgia fired a professor after police said the man was arrested for the murder of a student early Saturday morning.

The Carrollton Police Department said 47-year-old Richard Sigman is charged with murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

The charges come after police say 18-year-old Anna Jones showed up to a hospital with a gunshot wound on July 30 just before 12:30 am

Investigators said preliminary information indicates that the former professor and another man got into a verbal argument at a restaurant, WGCL reported.

The man reportedly told police Sigman had threatened to shoot him. When security approached Sigman, they saw he had a weapon and told him to leave.

The investigation indicates Sigman then walked into the parking lot and began shooting into a parked vehicle, hitting Jones, who was inside.

The University of West Georgia President Brendan Kelly released the following statement saying in part:

“On behalf of the university, we wish to convey our deepest condolences to Anna’s family and many friends. We know this news is difficult to process and affects many members of our university community. We ask that you keep Anna’s family, friends, and all who have been touched by this tragedy in your thoughts during this tremendously difficult time.”

According to police, friends of Jones immediately drove her to the hospital where she later died.

Jones had recently graduated from Mount Zion High School, the school’s Facebook page says, and had planned to go to the University of West Georgia.

Ethan Lepard, a friend of Jones, said she was a sweet, caring girl and that he “will miss her forever.”

“There are so many good qualities, no one could list them all,” he said. “She was always so positive, and she was an amazing friend to everyone.”

The university is offering counseling and support services to all students, faculty and staff. Resources can be found at westga.edu/wellness.

Students can also call the UWG Counseling Center 24/7 by dialing 678-839-6428 and selecting option 2.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Carrollton Police Department at 770-834-4451.

Copyright 2022 WGCL via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Categories
US

University of West Georgia Professor Richard Sigman Accused of Gunning Down 18-Year-Old Student Anna Jones

A University of West Georgia professor fatally shot one of his own school’s students in a parking lot in the early hours of Saturday, Carrollton Police said.

Richard Sigman, 47, is now facing a murder charge over the death of 18-year-old Anna Jones.

According to police in Carrollton, a college town located about 50 miles west of Atlanta, Sigman threatened to whip out his gun during a verbal fight with another man in the parking lot of a pizza joint at 12:30 am Saturday.

The man alerted a security guard and when the guard saw that Sigman was indeed armed, police say they asked him to leave. But Sigman walked away and began to shoot into a vehicle parked in the lot near Adamson Square, a busy nighttime district in downtown Carrollton.

One of the bullets hit Jones, though it’s unclear if she was the intended target or if she knew Sigman. Her friends of her drove her to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said.

In a GoFundMe organized to cover funeral expenses, Jones was described as “a beautiful, sweet soul” whose “smile would light up a room.”

“This was a devastating and senseless crime that left a lot of hearts broken, a community mourning, and a family grieving,” the fundraiser said.

Relatives and friends also took to social media to express their grief and shock, with one friend writing that “to know Anna was to love Anna.” Stephanie Hodges, one of Jones’ former teachers, wrote that the 18-year-old freshman was planning on becoming a teacher herself, having had a natural knack for working with children.

Another friend, Emma Phillips, described Jones as “endlessly kind, selfless, extremely loving, hilarious, and overall the life of every party. She was simply full of life and love. She had such a love for her family, friends, and her home de ella mount zion. ”

“I remember multiple times her buying me clothes, dinner, and even paying for me to get my nails done because I had no money and she wanted me to feel included,” Phillips wrote. “That’s exactly how she was… Anything I needed, she was there to give it. I wish I could be half as selfless as she was.”

A relative told The Daily Beast on Sunday afternoon that the family is not yet ready to speak publicly about Jones’ death.

Zoie Whitestone, who was one of Sigman’s students last semester, told The Daily Beast Sigman taught upperclassmen management courses.

“Many of us had him a few months ago and never would’ve suspected this,” she said.

The University has since fired Sigman. “On behalf of the university, we wish to convey our deepest condolences to Anna’s family and many friends,” UWG President Dr. Brendan Kelly said in the statement. “We know this news is difficult to process and affects many members of our university community. We ask that you keep Anna’s family, friends, and all who have been touched by this tragedy in your thoughts during this tremendously difficult time.”

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