A teenage boy who got his New Jersey teacher pregnant when he was 13 and she was 28, has insisted he instigated the relationship.
The boy, who DailyMail is not naming, said in an extraordinary exclusive interview that he doesn't want Laura Caron, 34, to face trial and is standing by her.
Former college basketball player Caron is awaiting trial and potentially facing 10 years in prison on charges she r@ped the boy, who moved in with her when he was just 11.
But the boy in question, who is now 19 years old, insists he doesn't feel like a victim, loves Caron with all his heart, and is hoping they can be a family soon.
Prosecutors say she preyed on the youngster and subjected him to years of abuse before allegedly having his child in 2019.
It was gathered that the pair kept the romance secret, and Caron supposedly told friends at a baby shower that the father was 'out of the picture'.
The relationship only emerged years later when the boy's father saw a photograph of Caron's then-toddler daughter and noted the uncanny resemblance with his son.
Now Caron, if convicted, could be facing a decade behind bars on aggravated sexual assault in a case that has sent shockwaves through the school and local community.
In an interview with DailyMail, the boy said she shouldn't be jailed and insists he was 'wasn't groomed' by Coran.
'They need to drop all charges. I wasn't groomed or raped or manipulated by her. She never initiated anything,' he told DailyMail
'I started everything. If it was up to me she wouldn't have been in jail. It's been six or seven years. I'm 19 about to be 20.'
The teen rejected any suggestion the alleged abuse happened when he was 11, calling the allegations 'crazy'.
Caron declined to comment on the sordid allegations as she left a bail hearing in Cape May, New Jersey, on January 21.
Caron is scheduled back in court on February 25 for another hearing.
Caron, a fifth-grade teacher and basketball coach at Middle Township Elementary School #2 located in Cape May Court House, met the boy after teaching his older sister.
His parents saw how their daughter was thriving under Caron's guidance, and wanted the same for their son.
She quickly became friends with the boy's mother, who brought her closer to the family.
They trusted Caron to care for their son and two other children so much that they let them stay in her house overnight.
Caron ended up taking them to after-school basketball practices and helping them with their homework.
The overnight stays became more frequent and full-time. It was during that period that Caron got pregnant. Her baby was born in 2019.
No one in the boy's family suspected that he could be the father.
In December, when the boy's father saw a photo of Caron's daughter, he was alarmed by the likeness of his son.
He contacted the authorities and the police opened an investigation.
Caron, who was living with her mother, continued to teach at the elementary school after her daughter was born.
Her mother Kathleen Douglass was babysitting her granddaughter - up until her arrest on January 15.
Her bail conditions include having no contact with the baby's alleged father.
The order from the court, he says, has been difficult to deal with.
'I can't talk to them. I wish I could but I can't and it sucks,' he told DailyMail.
Seeing the stories out there of Caron being called a 'predator,' has also been tough, he added.
'I've seen it all and it's crazy' he said. 'The media is weird for staying that stuff.'
He blamed his father for the fallout.
'All of this started with a Facebook post from my father,' he told DailyMail. 'I didn't want her violated like that.'
He didn't elaborate but said they are now estranged.
'This stuff is so deep,' he explained. 'Like the world has no idea what she has done for my family.'
'I love her with all my heart. She was there for me and my family.'
The teen is a standout athlete and is hoping to get into a top college program.
Since the story broke he has been trying to stay focused, but admits it has been 'a lot'.
