Mark Vernon Anderson jailed for five years for sexually abusing 14-year-old boy
A pedophile with a sickening fetish has been locked up after enticing a 14-year-old boy to visit him at his CBD apartment by allowing him to use drugs.
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A pedophile with a vile fetish has been jailed for more than five years, while his victim fears he will continue to prey on other vulnerable people once he is released.
HIV-positive man Mark Vernon Anderson, 54, was found guilty of maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with the boy in order to fuel his disturbing poo fetish.
During sentencing, the District Court heard Anderson was living in a CBD unit at the time of the offending.
Three children, including the 14-year-old victim, his 16-year-old girlfriend and the other boy visited Mr Anderson’s house between June and September 2020.
The court heard the victim was under the Guardianship of the Minister at the time and regularly reported missing by police.
Judge Emily Telfer said Anderson knew the victim was a regular methamphetamine user and enticed him to his premises by allowing him to take drugs there.
The court heard Anderson took advantage of the victim’s vulnerability by sexually abusing him, including indecently assaulting him and asking him to defecate on him or on a plate.
In his victim impact statement read to the court last month by prosecutor Rob Walker, the victim told Anderson he was “scum of the Earth”.
The victim said his main concern is one day Anderson will walk free and continue to abuse other vulnerable young people.
“I hope you rot in hell and the rest of your life is filled with the pain I am feeling on a daily basis,” he said.
“I hope one day karma will smack you right in the face and you die a very slow and painful death.
“You are a pedophile and people like you should never be free to walk the streets or the community.”
After a trial in October, Anderson was found not guilty of supplying drugs to the children, possessing child exploitation material, and other child sex offences against the victim’s friend and girlfriend.
During sentencing submissions, Angus Redford, for Anderson, told the court his client was clearly a target and taken advantage of by the victim and his friends because of his sexual proclivities.
Judge Telfer said the victim was an especially vulnerable young person.
“You have significant deficits in your ability to control your verbal and other sexual behaviour,” she said.
“Your offending though goes further than just saying inappropriate things in the presence of (the victim).”
Judge Telfer said she had very limited insight into the reasons behind Anderson’s offending as he did not accept the verdict.
Anderson was sentenced to five years and six months jail, with a non-parole period of three years and six months.
The sentence was backdated to September 19, 2020.
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