A Northern Tasmanian man who created a seven-minute child exploitation video in what was a grave breach of trust and accessed child exploitation material over nine years was sentenced in the Supreme Court in Launceston to five years' jail.
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The 42-year-old man, whose name has been suppressed by Justice Robert Pearce, pleaded guilty to 19 child abuse offences of Commonwealth and state laws.
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He also possessed 1578 bestiality files of sex between females and animals, mostly dogs.
The court heard that the man accessed "highly sexualised and explicit" child abuse images from 2010 to 2019 but had escalated his activity over the past two years.
He downloaded child abuse material while on bail in May 2020 after being arrested and charged in November 2019. He used a Vivo mobile phone from 11pm to 4.45am to access 21 child abuse videos.
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The original tip-off from Canadian police prompted an investigation by the Tasmanian Joint-Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET), comprising of the Australian Federal Police and Tasmania Police, and a raid of the man's home in November 2019.
Seven electronic devices were seized from the man containing 9138 images of child abuse material including 45 in the highest category.
Justice Pearce said the material was depraved, vile and disturbing and included females from newborn to pre-pubescent being raped.
Many were situations in which females were bonded or restrained in what was appalling cruelty and torture.
- Justice Pearce
He said one video showed a young female who appeared to have been violently killed before being subjected to rape by an adult male.
The convicted man had taken the "time and trouble" to categorise the material on the devices for later access.
Some images from a children's school had been uploaded and images shot when girls in skirts stepped over a filming device.
Two of the counts related to the production of child exploitation material in Tasmania which involved a high degree of planning and a breach of trust.
When the man uploaded it to the internet he collected 23 new like-minded friends.
Justice Pearce said the man uploaded images of himself masturbating outside a child's bedroom or masturbating into child's underwear.
He said the reoffending while on bail showed an absence of remorse and demonstrated a grave risk of reoffending.
The man role played with an adult woman dressed in a school uniform.
Some of the Commonwealth offences had a maximum penalty of 15 years.
Justice Pearce sentenced the man to five years' jail and ordered that the man's name be placed on the sex offender's register for 15 years from release.
During a plea hearing Justice Pearce said the child abuse material included some of the worst he had ever seen and remarked that it was one of the most serious cases he had heard.
The charges related to the crime of using a carriage service to access and possess child abuse material.
Justice Pearce set a non parole period of three years.
The court heard that the man grew up in New South Wales and had an unremarkable upbringing.
He worked as a chef for 20 years until sacked when news of the charges received publicity.
Nick Clark
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for The Examiner. My journalism career has clicked over 34 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for The Examiner. My journalism career has clicked over 34 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
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