A young teaching assistant accused of caring for a teenager could have the charges against her dropped, a court has heard.
Ammy Clara Singleton from Port Augusta in South Australia, was arrested in December and accused of communicating with a child under the age of 17 to “engage in or submit to sexual activity”. A Snapchat The message is said to be at the center of the police allegations.
The 28-year-old was assisted by her lawyer when she arrived at the city’s magistrates’ court on Wednesday morning with a crucifix around her neck and a black mask and sunglasses covering her face.
Ms Singleton was on the witness stand when prosecutor Magistrate David McLeod said her case – which made headlines nationwide – is under review by prosecutors and “may not proceed”.
Assistant teacher Ammy-Clare Singleton appeared at Port Augusta Magistrates’ Court (pictured) on Wednesday morning, where the court heard prosecutors were considering dropping the charges
Ammy Singleton’s case has been adjourned until August 10, when she is expected to file a plea bargain
The matter has been adjourned to August 10, when she is expected to file a plea.
Ms Singleton declined to comment outside court when asked how she felt about the prospect of the charges being dropped.
At her last appearance in May, the court heard that Ms Singleton had come into contact with the male victim at a sports club.
Defense attorney Andrew Fowler-Walker said the alleged victim was not a student of Ms Singleton and that he contacted her through a chat room.
The mother-of-one was an accomplished netball player who was teaching at six schools when she was arrested last year.
She was subsequently relieved of all teaching posts.
Her mother, Sharon Platt, previously told Daily Mail Australia that the 28-year-old would claim she received a message on Snapchat from a teenager, leading to the alleged charge being made.
Ammy-Clare Singleton has a three-year-old son with her ex-husband. They split up two years ago
Ms Platt said her daughter is a “doting mum” who lives with her parents and their three-year-old son – having left her husband two years ago.
She explained that when Ms Singleton goes out with her friends, she regularly calls home to ask how her little boy is doing with his grandparents – she usually ends her evenings early to make sure she’s there when her son wakes up at night.
Ms Platt said her daughter, an Indigenous Australian, is aspiring to be a teacher because she wants to support Indigenous children in school.
“She wanted to be a teacher because kids didn’t get a fair chance and she’s a black girl and she embraces her culture,” she said.
Speaking about Ms Singleton’s future, the mother broke down and asked how her daughter was going to pay off her $80,000 college debt without a job.
Ms Platt couldn’t hide her devastation as she said her daughter “will never have a career again”.
“She will never have life again, and she has never done anything wrong to anyone, but she is guilty until proven innocent.”
Ms Singleton (pictured outside her home) has been accused of caring for a child under the age of 17
Ammy Singleton (pictured) lives in Port Augusta, South Australia with her parents and their three-year-old son
“She will have her day in court but she will never get her life back and neither will we.
Wondering if the attention paid to Ms Singleton was mainly due to her good looks, Ms Platt said she receives several anonymous calls from people asking: “Are you proud of your daughter?”.
Ms. Singleton graduated from UniSA with a Bachelor of Education (Primary and Middle) in 2017 before returning to her hometown and becoming a full-time mother.
She then worked as an occasional teacher at six schools including Flinders View Primary School and Port Augusta West Primary School.
A former Flinders View student told The Advertiser that Ms Singleton was “a lovely teacher”.
The school’s principal, Anna Nayda, sent a letter to the parents confirming that the assistant teacher had worked there between February 2017 and April 2018, but that the allegations did not concern any of her students.
If she’s found guilty of the crime, Ms. Singleton threatened with 10 years in prison.
