A 22-year-old woman from a remote community in Western Australia has appeared at the Alice Springs Local Court today charged with 12 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 16.
The alleged victim is a 15-year-old boy from Alice Springs.
The woman appeared at the court via video link from the Alice Springs Correctional Centre.
Prosecutor Phil Emmett told court that the woman had been arrested at an Alice Springs motel.
"The victim has disclosed to his father that there was a sexual relationship," Mr Emmett told the court.
"She was asked by police if the victim was in the hotel room, she told police: 'No he wasn't,'" he said.
"[But] the victim was found to be in that motel room at the time of her arrest."
The woman's defence team applied for her to be bailed to an Alice Springs address on the grounds that it was the defendant's first offence, and there was no indication that she would not comply with bail conditions.
"Obviously the bail proposal would include no contact directly, or indirectly, not by social media or any other means," the woman's defence counsel told the court.
"She acknowledges she is in a very serious situation, assured me she would comply with whatever conditions," they said.
The court also heard that the defendant's mobile phone had been seized by police.
But Mr Emmett argued against bail on the grounds that there was a "high likelihood" that the victim would be contacted by the defendant again.
"The accused is apparently adept at the use of social media applications and we consider that she may continue to communicate with the victim if there are electronic devices or access to the internet," he said.
The matter was pushed to December 11 for a bail hearing.
The woman did not enter a plea.
