Cameron Henley-Fridmanis watched materials featuring sadism, bestiality and child abuse

An autistic woodworker’s childhood trauma was the “genesis” for watching sadism, beastiality and child sex abuse material, and becoming addicted to pornography.

A young autistic woodworker began watching material depicting sadism, bestiality and child sexual abuse material “out of boredom”, a court has heard.

Cameron Henley-Fridmanis, 21, appeared in the District Court of South Australia earlier this month charged with possessing child exploitation material, to which he pleaded guilty to in December last year.

On May 18, the court heard there a dispute over the categorisation of 26 files, with a total of 317 image and video files referred to by the defence.

Cameron Henley-Fridmanis is accused of possessing child sexual abuse videos.

“If we were dealing with numbers of 50 it might well be important, but given we’re dealing with these numbers it’s a drop in the ocean,” Judge Liesel Chapman said, who revealed it was unlikely he would be jailed.

For the prosecution, Lisa Lakatos said the Paradise man had traded videos with others over the mobile phone app Telegram in May last year.

She said the accused started looking at the material a few years prior to being involved in several groups.

“He took steps to try and remove the evidence from his phone,” Ms Lakatos said when police got involved in the matter.

“This suggests he wanted to avoid detection and continue to engage in the conduct.”

She said the aggravated material involved sadism, bestiality and child abuse featuring children over the age of 14.

Henley-Fridamanis leaves the District Court of South Australia on Tuesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Brenton Edwards

However, for Henley-Fridmanis, Kathryn Waite said it was not a “child pornography specific group”.

“There was all sorts of pornography that were being sent to him, both normal and fetish sort of pornography… to child exploitation material,” Ms Waite said.

However, she conceded her client had a “pornography addiction” and undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia and social anxiety disorder.

“All these disorders were untreated at the time,” Ms Waite said, saying the accused came from a background of “environment of dysfunction, neglect and abuse, both physical and emotional”.

Cameron Henley-Fridmanis became addicted to pornography due to a troubled childhood. Picture: Cameron Henley-Fridmanis Facebook.

He was “singled out and targeted for bullying” during his school years and his mother could not afford him a proper uniform and shoes.

“He would have to shower with his mother to save the water and power,” she said.

“He had little or no toys.”

By the later years of primary school he was engaging in self harm – once trying to poison himself in a suicide attempt.

“Bullying was a constant experience for him at school… the other kids called him stupid,” she said.

She also said his struggles at school, social rejection and isolation at home was the “genesis of the dysfunctional obsession” with pornography.

“He’s suffered disappointments through his life,” she said.

“When he’s at his lowest ebb… the offending has occurred. It’s offending primarily born out of boredom.”

Henley-Fridmanis viewed pornographic videos due to childhood trauma and boredom. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards.

His use of “normal” pornography gradually moved to something more “illegal”.

“Looking at pornography became a daily habit,” she said.

“Looking at group messages was more intermittent.”

However, she said her client had taken “immediate action” to address his addiction and began seeing a psychologist last year which had reduced his risk of reoffending.

He had also since found his passion in woodworking and was employed through a local company, finally finding acceptance, Ms Waite submitted.

“He’s not used the internet since his arrest and he no longer has that interest in his life,” she said.

He will appear for sentencing later this month.