'I Was wrongly Sent To Prison'

She was the primary school teacher who was convicted of raping her sixth-grade student. Now, more than two decades later, Mary Kay Letourneau believes she was wrongly imprisoned.

Letourneau made international headlines in 1997 when it was revealed she was in a sexual relationship with 12-year-old Vili Fualaau. She was 34 at the time, and was married with four children.

In an exclusive Sunday Night interview, which aired last night on Channel Seven, Letourneau has spoken out about her imprisonment. Asked if she thought she had been wrongly imprisoned, she replied: “Absolutely.”

Letourneau said, “You don’t know our story, but we do.”

Letourneau was arrested after a relative of her husband, Steve Letourneau, told police she was having an affair with her student, and later in 1997 she pleaded guilty and was convicted of second-degree child rape.

While she was out on bail awaiting sentencing, Letourneau gave birth to Vili’s child, Audrey. As part of her plea agreement, she was told she could have no more contact with Vili. But the following year she was caught by police having sex with Vili in a car and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

In shocking claims, Letourneau believes she was “tricked and coerced” into taking a guilty plea.