In December of 2010, Keli Lane was convicted of murdering two-day-old Tegan Lee Lane and disposing of the body in a place that only she knows. The baby’s body has never been found. On Friday, she was sentenced to a maximum term of 18 years in prison. Miss Lane is appealing the conviction.
The woman convicted of the crime was not the same woman who once used to front Alissa Warren’s classes at school. Alissa saw a very different side to her. This piece was first published in The Daily Telegraph. We think you should read it.
“I knew convicted child murderer Keli Lane simply as Miss Lane. She was my high school physical education teacher at Ravenswood School for Girls, a Uniting Church school in Gordon, on Sydney’s north shore.
It was 2001 and I was 17. Miss Lane was 26.
Nobody knew it at the time but five years earlier, this young woman had murdered her own newborn baby, Tegan, after going through pregnancy without the knowledge of her family or friends. Later, police would discover she had gone through several other secret pregnancies, which resulted in either abortion or adoption of the babies.
I don’t want to believe Miss Lane murdered Tegan.
She was the sort of teacher we all admired. She treated us with respect and we respected her in return. Mostly, I remember this: Miss Lane didn’t put up with any rubbish. Everything from wagging to whingeing – she never allowed it. Not on her watch.
Like in any high school, there were two types of teachers. Those who can’t control a classroom, and those who can. Miss Lane was the latter.
You couldn’t put much past her. She accepted no excuses. She made you work for her trust. She taught lessons outside the classroom about respect and manners: valuable lessons for many impressionable teenage girls. She made no special allowances for girls who came from families with money or had important parents.
But she wasn’t just a tough teacher with a gruff voice. She was fun. She cared. Believe it or not, she gave us sex education lessons. There, we heard about how to practice putting condoms on bananas. She showed us slides of the anatomy on the overhead projector. I don’t remember her talking about abortion. Or adoption.
Top Comments
It is rather bizarre to hear that Kelly taught you girls how to put a condon on a banana. Clearly Kelly didn't practice any contraception herself, otherwise she wouldn't have kept having unwanted pregnancies. Kelly could not keep her legs shut around the guys. Her parents didn't teach her any morals.
I think the most bizarre thing about this story is the comments below that suggest Keli Lane could be innocent because a body hasn't been found.
Keli Lane hid many pregnancies.
Keli Lane adopted out 2 babies
Keli Lane gave birth to baby that is missing without a sensible, plausible or reasonable explanation
Keli Lane is seriously messed up
Keli Lane knows what happened
Keli lane is hiding the truth as she did so many times before
Keli Lane is G U I L T Y