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

An abused child has told a pedophile who sexually abused him to fuel his sickening fetish he hopes he rots in hell – and that he’s never freed.

The victim of a pedophile with a vile fetish has delivered a powerful statement in court, saying his biggest fear is his abuser could one day walk free and continue to prey on other vulnerable people.

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.

In his victim impact statement read to the District Court on Tuesday by prosecutor Rob Walker, the victim told Anderson he was “scum of the Earth”.

“I want you to know that your abuse has caused severe mental scars and I feel it will take me a lifetime to recover, if ever,” he said.

“I hate you with a passion, you disgust me on a daily basis.”

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

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.”

In her published verdict, Judge Emily 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.

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 visited 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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

On Tuesday, Angus Redford, for Anderson, told the court his client didn’t accept the verdict.

Mr Redford said Anderson was clearly a target and taken advantage of by the victim and his friends because of his sexual proclivities.

The court heard Anderson suffered drastically as a result of the charges and being in custody for close to three years, losing his home and possessions.

Anderson will be sentenced next week.