Mark Vernon Anderson found guilty of sexually abusing 14-year-old, acquitted of other charges

A 54-year-old predator has been found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy in state care to fuel his disturbing fetish.

A man has been found guilty of sexually abusing a 14-year-old in state care by touching his genitals and asking him to defecate on him.

However, HIV positive man, Mark Vernon Anderson, 54, was acquitted of numerous other child sex charges after a trial in the District Court.

In her published verdict, Judge Emily Telfer found Anderson guilty of maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with the boy.

Judge Telfer said while Anderson’s counsel submitted he clearly “didn’t have a filter” his persistence in the requests and proclivity for coprophilic sexual activities excluded the possibility he was joking.

Anderson was found not guilty of supplying drugs to the children, with Judge Telfer saying there was no evidence that the substance supplied – assuming it was supplied – was a controlled drug.

The CBD apartment block where Mark Vernon Anderson lived. Photo: Dylan Hogarth

Judge Telfer also found him not guilty of possessing child exploitation material, assaulting and attempting to incite or procure the victim’s girlfriend to commit an indecent act and indecent assault of the victim’s 11-year-old friend.

During Anderson’s trial in October, the court heard he was living in a CBD unit at the time of the offending.

Three children, including the victim, his 16-year-old girlfriend and the other boy became frequent visitors to Mr Anderson’s house between June and September 2020.

The court heard the two boys were “street kids” and regularly reported missing by police after they left their state care premises.

Rob Walker, for the prosecution, said Mr Anderson allegedly supplied drugs to the trio – including meth, MDMA and marijuana.

“On other occasions (the 14-year-old) will say the accused asked him to defecate, whether on the accused or on a plate,” Mr Walker said.

The court heard Mr Anderson told the victim “age was just a number” and asked him to engage in sexual acts.

During cross-examination, the 14-year-old’s mother said she had offered her son to Mr Anderson for drugs in a ruse to get him to admit to being a pedophile.

Police attended Mr Anderson’s unit in September 2020 and found a bag of faeces in the bathroom sink – to which Mr Anderson said he did not know how it got there.

Mr Walker told the court Mr Anderson’s electronic devices were searched and police found material showing his “sexual fetish” involving faeces and child exploitation material.

Anderson will face sentencing submissions later this month.