Child exploitation material smuggler Alexander Nguyen Tran to serve 10-month home detention sentence 250m from kindergarten

A FORMER teacher who smuggled “abhorrent” material showing traumatised children as young as three being sexually exploited will serve his jail term at home — 250 metres from a suburban kindergarten.

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A FORMER teacher who smuggled “abhorrent” material showing traumatised children as young as three being sexually exploited will serve his jail term at home — 250 metres from a kindergarten.

The District Court has sentenced Alexander Anh Nguyen Tran to 22 months’ jail, ordering he serve 10 months in custody before being released under supervision.

However, Judge Liesl Chapman ruled it appropriate he serve his sentence on home detention, saying he had spared himself a prison cell through his efforts to rehabilitate.

“The images and videos you brought into this country are abhorrent ... real children were abused, violated and degraded in the production of that material,” she said.

“One only needs to see the look on the faces of those real children to appreciate the trauma being experienced by them in (its) production.

“However, you have taken active steps towards your rehabilitation since you were arrested for this offending ... you are gaining insight into the evil of child (exploitation material).

“I think you have got to the stage in rehabilitation such that the safety of the community will not be threatened by you serving a period on home detention.”

Alexander Anh Nguyen Tran outside the District Court. Picture: AAP/Emma Brasier.

Tran, 32, pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle, and lying on his incoming passenger card about six hard drives filled with child exploitation material.

He collected the files while working as a kindergarten teacher in Japan to rebel against his parents’ wishes he become a pharmacist.

Tran has been living at Medindie since his arrest, 200m away from Wilderness School — which was unaware of his presence until it was reported by The Advertiser.

It was only after the story was published that prosecutors moved to block Tran from serving his sentence on home detention at that address.

He then sought to serve his term in a new house, bought for him by his parents, at Broadview — 250 metres from a kindergarten.

Alexander Anh Nguyen Tran, right, and his lawyer Tim Dibden, left, outside the District Court. Picture: Emma Brasier/AAP

In sentencing, Judge Chapman said Tran had told Customs officers at Adelaide Airport he was “too lazy to delete” the material.

“That is a very disappointing explanation to say the least (and) does not move me to accept that your interest in the child (exploitation material) was as limited as you say,” she said.

“I expect that the continuing therapy that you will be required to undertake for sometime to come will address this aspect of your behaviour.”

She said Tran had undergone extensive risk analysis, with a mental health expert, as well as screening to determine his suitability for home detention.

“I cannot stress enough to you, if you had not embarked upon the rehabilitative path that you did as soon as you did, then I would not have ordered you serve the 10 month period on home detention,” she said.

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