CANBERRA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- A female music teacher in Australia who had sex with two students sobbed Friday as she was sentenced to more than four years in jail.

    Michelle Lynn Dennis, 33, had betrayed the trust of the students and shown little remorse, the Ballarat County Court heard as reported by local media.

    Judge Susan Cohen said the Ballarat teacher's offending had been worse than that of Karen Ellis because she had sex with more than one student.

    In 2005, Karen Ellis, a physical education teacher, was convicted of having sex with a student and jailed for two years and two months.

    Dennis pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual penetration of a child under her care, supervision or authority and one count of sexual penetration of a child under 16.

    Dennis denied the crimes until the day of her scheduled trial.

    Lawyers for Dennis told the court she was drinking heavily during the 2007 offending and had kept a water bottle full of red wine in her car.

    Judge Cohen says she took into account Dennis' alcoholism and history of abusive relationships, but it was no excuse for her crimes.

    Dennis, who is now a registered sex offender, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison and will serve a minimum of two years and 10 months.