Families SA predator Shannon McCoole has three years slashed from sentence after helping jail another paedophile

EVIL ex-Families SA predator Shannon McCoole has had three years slashed off his jail term for helping Danish authorities prosecute another paedophile.

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EVIL ex-Families SA predator Shannon McCoole has had three years slashed off his jail term for helping Danish authorities prosecute another paedophile.

On Thursday, District Court Judge Paul Rice reduced McCoole’s head sentence from 35 years to 32 years.

His non-parole period was slashed by two years from 28 to 26 years.

Outside court, the father of one of his victims said he disliked the fact that McCoole would be released earlier but understood why Judge Rice had to cut his sentence.

He said without a reduction, there would be no incentive for criminals to help authorities prosecute others.

“He knows a lot more than what he is telling,” he said.

“I suggest to McCoole, or any other person who has ever hurt a child, to stand up and start thinking of the children — stop thinking about yourselves.

“These children are getting hurt and don’t deserve it.”

Judge Rice said McCoole’s evidence against the European paedophile — who cannot be named for legal reasons — was of “limited significance” because he would have been convicted without it.

Shannon McCoole.

But he said McCoole’s testimony corroborated other pieces of evidence in the case.

“It was important but it was not decisive,” he said.

Judge Rice described McCoole’s willingness to help authorities prosecute other paedophiles as “selected co-operation or co-operation on your terms”.

“Your contrition and remorse remains unequivocal and uncertain,” he said.

“There was no suggestion that your evidence was lacking in truthfulness and reliability.

“But it was not complete because you were unwilling to say whether you had a particular involvement in the website.”

Judge Rice said prisoners needed some incentive to co-operate with authorities.

“Unrewarded, the flow of information would diminish,” he said.

“There’s no doubt you harbour a lot more information about the activities of others.

“Whether you are prepared to disclose that may well have an impact on the likelihood on you committing further offences because it may show complete contrition.”

The former Families SA social worker was sentenced to 35 years in jail with a non-parole period of 28 years in 2015 after he admitted to a horrifying list of sex offences committed against young children in his care.

They were as young as 18 months old. One had autism. Another was disabled.

McCoole was also in charge of an international child pornography network, which had thousands of members.

Australian police were tipped off to McCoole’s position as “CEO” of the sick organisation by Dutch police in May 2014, and he was soon after arrested for offences against seven children, six of whom were in his care.

Last year, McCoole gave evidence to a Danish court against a man accused of helping to run the online forum.

McCoole testified from prison in Adelaide by videolink in the case against a 48-year-old Dane — known only as TL — who is accused of abusing four children and of helping McCoole.

Mr Griffin told Judge Rice the sentence reduction application would be made under a section of the Criminal Law Sentencing Act.

He said McCoole co-operated with police following his arrest, which had been taken into consideration by Judge Rice during sentencing.

Former Families SA worker Shannon McCoole from police files. Picture: Mark Brake

In February last year, The Advertiser reported on transcripts tendered to a Danish court detailing McCoole’s conversation with a Swedish administrator of an international child pornography site about buying a Romanian baby for use as a “sex toy”.

At the time of the conversation in June 2010, McCoole was working part time at a southern suburbs out of school hours care centre while studying a teaching degree at the University of South Australia.

Oscar Gulhagg admitted to filming and sexually abusing the four children of one of his friends but has denied the Romanian gypsy plan by claiming it was never seriously considered.

In a landmark trial, prosecutors were trying to hold him responsible for child rapes committed by other men because he and other administrators, including McCoole, encouraged it by requiring members to post new abuse pictures every 30 days or face a ban.

Prosecutors have told the northern European court the Dane should be held jointly responsible for 22 child rapes that were published on the site.

McCoole was nicknamed “Mr Paedophile” during the investigation.

Dutchman Auke Vansickle told the Danish court, in Randers, that he went with Gulhagg and another man — known online as “Haba” — to Romania in 2010 but left when he became aware they were serious about their plan to buy the baby.

McCoole’s crimes have triggered a Royal Commission into the child protection system “shortfalls” that let McCoole to abuse those in his care.

The commission case study into McCoole heard many “red flags” were raised — including a girl nicknaming him “Mr Paedophile” — before his arrest in June 2014.