A female prison psychologist who began a courtship with a 15-year-old inmate met him for sex on the day of his release from juvenile detention and later bore him a child.
Catherine McKeehan, who is 18 years older than the father of her child, has been struck off by the Psychology Tribunal of NSW for three years for professional misconduct.
She was was working as a counsellor at Reiby Juvenile Justice Centre in 2007 when she met a boy, referred to as ''client A''.
She began supplying the minor with a weekly ration of tobacco and trading love letters.
The tribunal heard evidence of the psychologist's letters, which included the statements "I love you" and "the only reason I come to work is to see you".
She disclosed to a co-worker at the centre, Leilani Tonumaipea, a letter written to her by client A which said ''I love you'' with a picture depicting a person falling off a cliff.
When the boy was moved to Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre in February 2008, Ms McKeehan gave him a mobile phone and told him to record her number as Uncle Sam. He called her 64 times from February to April 2008.
On the day of his release in April 2008, aged 16 years and two months, she began a sexual relationship with the youth, giving him alcohol on the night of their first sexual encounter.
In May 2009, the psychologist gave birth to a daughter while she and client A were living in Queensland with her mother.
The father's particulars were not recorded on the birth certificate but the tribunal noted the youth "believes he has fathered a child with the practitioner" and was at the birth.
The tribunal found Ms McKeehan ''demonstrated a complete disregard for proper professional boundaries''.
''The psychologist also appeared to disregard client A's vulnerability as a detained youth, 18 years her junior, with whom she had a therapeutic relationship. In then engaging in a sexual relationship with client A, after he had turned 16, and continuing that relationship for over a year, the psychologist engaged in serious misconduct of grave concern to the tribunal.