Tutor rapes blind student, gets 6 months

A New York teacher's aide -- mother of two -- has been sentenced to six months in jail for raping and sexually abusing her student, an 11-year-old blind boy.

Kathy Tuifel's lawyer has said she maintains her innocence, but pleaded guilty at the Nassau County Court in Mineola, N.Y., to avoid heavy jail time, the New York Post reported Saturday. As a part of the plea agreement, she admitted abusing the boy on three occasions -- twice in 2001 and again in March 2002 at the tutor's home and in a parked van.

Tuifel was arrested in 2002 after the legally blind student told school officials about the encounters he had with the tutor he met at Hicksville Middle School.

In addition to the 6 months jail time, Tuifel has agreed to undergo psychiatric therapy and will be registered with the state as a sex offender.

She will likely serve only four months behind bars and be on probation for 10 years.

Tuifel's husband has sued for divorce and is seeking custody of their children.

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