A married counsellor at a prestigious Catholic boys’ school admitted to having sex with a student and sending him nude images – before going on to accuse her husband of “neglect”.
43-year-old Emily Nutley was working as director of academic services at the elite Catholic school in Ohio where she admitted to having sexual relations with a 17-year-old student. The former head counsellor pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of sexual battery for engaging in a sexual relationship with the underage boy at St Xavier High School. The school is a prestigious Jesuit boys’ institution in Cincinnati, Ohio, dating back to 1831 where tuition costs in the region of around $16,000 a year (£12,380).
Nutley engaged in the sexual relationship with the teenager during the autumn 2023 term, a spokesperson for the Hamilyon County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed. She was fired in October 2024 following an internal investigation which led to her arrest and indictment after her accuser came forward.
Just weeks later, Nutley’s soon-to-be-ex husband, Jonathan, filed for divorce. But the twisted counsellor claimed her husband was “guilty of gross neglect of duty and extreme cruelty” during their marriage, according to documents seen by TMZ. The mum-of-three had been a licensed school counsellor for 18 years, telling the court she had a master’s degree from Xavier University.
“I’ve had a long and successful work career,” she told the judge. In December, the judge allowed Nutley to live with her mother. Prosecutors have said the counsellor was supervisor of a programme aimed at helping kids who were struggling with their academics where she met the teen, who was part of the ‘at-risk’ group.
They allege she began the sexual relationship in 2023, with the counselor accused of performing oral sex on the teen and having sex with him in her school office. Authorities have also accused her of sending the boy nude photographs of herself and sexually explicit messages.
Sexual encounters between the pair are said to have taken place both on and off school premises, with at least one of the encounters happening in her office after hours at the school. Nutley is said to have continued to contact the teen after he tried to put a stop to things.
“When the victim attempted to stop the encounters, Nutley continued to contact the victim via text messages,” the district attorney said. Nutley pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery on Monday, April 7, the day her trial was due to begin.
She faces up to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced, though a prison term is not mandatory, Assistant Prosecutor Nick Gramke said in court on Monday. She will be added to Ohio’s Sex Offender Registry and is not allowed within 1,000ft of any school. Judge Jennifer Branch is due to sentence Nutley on June 10.
“The child was in need of help and guidance but instead found an adult looking to act out her perverted sexual desires,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers said in a statement when Nutley was indicted in October 2024.
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