Jennifer Caswell jailed for 10 years after having sex with 15-year-old student

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Disgraced teacher, 29, stunned as she is handed 10-year prison sentence for repeatedly having sex with a 15-year-old student
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Jennifer Caswell, 29, formerly known by her married name Saxton, pleaded guilty in June to second-degree rape and other related charges
Oklahoma judge sentenced Caswell to 15 yeas in prison with five years suspended
Caswell's lawyer said they had been expecting a sentence of no more than five years
Caswell, who has a 6-year-old son, will be required to register as a sex offender after her release
She admitted to having sex with the student in her classroom at Hollis Middle School during a two-hour encounter in 2014
Appeared on Dr Phil Show in May insisting she was not a predator or a threat to anyone

Published: 08:11 EST, 13 August 2015 | Updated: 10:18 EST, 13 August 2015

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Punished: Jennifer Caswell, 29, a former Oklahoma middle school teacher, was sentenced to 15 years, with five years suspended, after pleading guilty to second-degree rape and other related charges stemming from her affair with a student

A former Oklahoma middle school teacher who has publicly admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old student in her classroom was stunned when on Wednesday a judge sentenced her to 10 years in prison.

Jennifer Caswell, 29, formerly known by her married name Saxton, pleaded guilty in June to second-degree rape and other related charges, a year after her arrest on suspicion of carrying on an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

In May, Caswell appeared on the Dr Phil Show claiming that she was 'not a rapist' and blamed the 15-year-old boy for making the first move.

'I didn't force anything. I didn't manipulate. I didn't take advantage,' she said at the time.

On Wednesday, Harmon County District Judge Richard Darby sentenced Caswell to 15 years in prison, with five years suspended, for each of the six incidents involving sex with the teenager.

The sentences are to run concurrently, totaling 10 years behind bars for the 29-year-old divorced mother of one from Hollis.

'I can’t say that we had ever considered it being that harsh,' Caswell's attorney, David Cummins, told the station NewsOK after the hearing.

Cummins said they had expected a maximum sentence of five years.

Caswell, who has a 6-year-old son, will only become eligible for parole in 8.5 years. After her release, she will be required to register as a sex offender.

In the wake of Caswell's sentencing, the young victim's mother said she feels the disgraced teacher's punishment is fair.

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Unpleasant surprise: Caswell's lawyer said they had been expecting a sentence of no more than five years. Caswell, who has a 6-year-old son, will only become eligible for parole in 8.5 years

Caswell also faces a federal lawsuit filed by the victim's father, a pastor, who accused the former teacher, the Hollis School District, Board of Education, district superintendent and school principal of covering up the sex crimes.

The father, whose lawsuit seeks $1million in damages, alleges that at least two people saw Caswell engaged in sexual acts with his son in her classroom.

After she resigned in April 2014, but was allowed to keep her teaching credentials, Caswell had sex with the boy in a vehicle, her house and the boy's father's house, according to prosecutors.

After the woman followed the 15-year-old 650 miles to Mississippi, where he had been sent to stay with his mother, the boy began cooperating with authorities.

Caswell has since had her teaching credentials revoked.

During her appearance on the Dr Phil Show in May, Caswell suggested it was the boy's persistence that led to them having sex in her classroom last April.

Jennifer Caswell: I had sex with student in my classroom

Speaking out: In May, Caswell appeared on the Dr Phil Show claiming that she was 'not a rapist'

Blaming the victim: Caswell told Dr Phil it was her student's flirting and affection that led to them having sex

She told Dr Phil: 'He came in, I was working on things, he kept coming closer to me and I would kind of walk away to the other part, you know another room, another areas of the classroom and he just walked up to me and then he kissed me. And then it just kind of went from there.'

'I was walking around the classroom straightening up the desks and he came and I guess it was standing up,' Caswell said.

Bleak future: After her release, Caswell will be required to register as a sex offender

The 29-year-old admitted that she did not tell the student to stop what he was doing.

She said: 'I kept on saying, ''No you know we can’t do this. No, no, no.''

'He wasn't forcing me, I mean, I couldn't easily just walked out of my classroom, but I didn't.

'But I was resisting because I knew it was wrong, but I didn't.'

Caswell said that following sex with the student, she felt 'terrified'.

'I just couldn't believe I had done something like that,' she added.

The sexual encounter took place within six weeks of Caswell having her teaching certificate. She was arrested two months later.

Caswell claimed her failing marriage with her now ex-husband, as well as the culture in her small town, all contributed to the unlawful relationship.

She said: 'I felt very unwanted by my husband. I was with him for ten years and I was never complimented. We never held hands or were physical.'

The former English teacher said she was flattered and came to enjoy the attention, flirting and compliments she received from the student.

She told Dr Phil: 'He was very flirty and I should have put a stop to it and I didn't. I wasn't used to the attention.'

Dr Phil to Jennifer Caswell: Did you rape this child?

The disgraced teacher admitted to having sex with her student while standing up in her classroom at Hollis Middle School (pictured), six weeks after she qualified for her profession