Re: Yeah, we've been discussing this one at DU

A teacher inherently has power over the pupil. A teacher in a boarding school has a power more akin to that of an in-house older relative than to that of a teacher in a school only attended for half the day. Because of this context, he certainly deserves some form of punishment.

Oh, I quite agree. I just think the punishment was overly harsh. Fire him from his job, sure. But I see no reason why he should go to jail. It is an absurd punishment that will cost taxpayers money to punish someone who engaged in sex with a person who consented and was the legal age of consent. It was only the context that made it wrong.