Jonathon Henke jailed for booking a hotel room to have sex with an eight-year-old child

Watch the moment a “heinous” truck driver was caught red-handed in a hotel room waiting to have sex with an “eight-year-old girl” with cash and condoms ready.

A paedophile was arrested by police in a hotel room, after he bargained with a person he believed was a mother, to have sex with her eight-year-old child.

Jonathon David Henke, 46, had an extraordinary lie to tell police when he was caught red-handed in a hotel room waiting.

The Adelaide District Court heard Henke posted an advertisement on a website called ChaosAds on October 2, 2020.

“The advertisement was titled ‘male looking for mother and very young daughter’,” Judge Adam Kimber said during sentencing.

Police saw the advertisement and contacted Henke on the mobile number he provided.

“The undercover officer pretended to be a 37-year-old mother of two young girls, aged five and eight,” Judge Kimber said.

Henke sent a series of disturbing messages about the eight-year-old and offered to pay $500 to engage in sexual activity with her.

“You asked about the child’s sexual experience … and asked whether the child had been shown the photograph you had sent of your penis,” Judge Kimber said.

The court heard Henke booked a hotel room where he could have sex with the child and asked the woman to bring child exploitation material.

Henke arrived at the hotel room on October 23, 2020 and brought condoms and lubricant with him.

“The condoms were flavoured and in the flavour you had been told the child liked,” Judge Kimber said.

The cash and condoms found in the hotel room Jonathon Henke had booked. Photo: SAPOL

Police arrived and arrested Henke.

“You lied to the police and said you had gone along with the communications with the intention of reporting to the police the person with whom you are communicating,” Judge Kimber said.

Henke was also found with child exploitation material.

Jonathon Henke was arrested by JACET officers. Photo: SAPOL

The Nuriootpa man pleaded guilty to possessing child exploitation material and procuring a child for sexual activity.

The court previously heard Henke is “very much interested in children” and suffers from pedophilic disorder.

The court heard Henke, who previously worked as a truck driver, posted the advertisement on the same day his wife asked for a divorce.

Judge Kimber described Henke’s offending as heinous and his devious interest in children meant his chances of reoffending were “very real”.

“You believed that you were contracting for a child to be sold for sex,” he said.

Judge Kimber sentenced Henke to five years and eight months jail, with a non-parole period of three years and six months.

The sentence was backdated to October 23, 2020.