Vile sex tourist Ruecha Tokputza ‘not sorry’ for abuse of 13 babies and boys in Australia and Thailand

One of SA’s most predatory sex tourists, Ruecha Tokputza, has “shown no remorse” for vile abuse of at least 13 boys — some as young as 17 months old — during a six-and-a-half-year span.

Paedophile Ruecha Tokputza’s social media accounts are filled with images of him posing with children.

• SA child sex tourist Ruecha Tokputza pleads guilty

One of South Australia’s most predatory sex tourists, Ruecha Tokputza, has “shown no remorse” for “breathtaking” abuse of at least 13 boys during a six-and-a-half-year span.

Tokputza has pleaded guilty to 50 charges in the District Court including aggravated indecent assault, unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 14, having sex with children outside of Australia, persistent exploitation of a child outside Australia and transmitting child exploitation material.

The charges relate to the grooming of Australian and Thai children for sex. He also filmed their torment and encouraged fellow predators to do the same.

His vile offending only ended when he was arrested after a joint investigation by Australian Federal Police, SA Police, NSW Police and Interpol in January last year.

“It is hard to think of more serious offending” than Tokputza’s crimes.

Heath Barklay SC, prosecuting, told the court “it is hard to think of more serious offending”.

“I’m not saying there isn’t such a case but the prosecution submission, when you look at the constellation of charges, the persistent nature of the offending, the gross breaches of trust in many of the charges, the long duration of the offending spanning about six and a half years, the very young age of the children, the number of victims — 13 at least identified — and the many others that were re-victimised in the form of sexual exploitation material, the sheer volume of offending, the depravity of the grave nature of the offending combined to make up what in the prosecution submission is at the upper end of the scale for this type of offending,” he said.

“The sexual exploitation of all of these children, over all of these years, in all of the forms … is in many ways simply breathtaking.

“It sits in the highest category of this type of offending.”

Ruecha Tokputza.

The court has previously heard Tokputza, 31, of Mile End, possessed 12,500 images and 650 videos of child exploitation material. He had also used an online messaging app to transmit the material to other offenders.

Mr Barklay said Tokputza had shown no remorse and his prospects of rehabilitation were “poor” and he would not have stopped offending if he was not arrested.

“There isn’t a case that we could find that comes anywhere near this case,” he said.

Judge Liesl Chapman said the only comparable case she was aware of was that of notorious Families SA paedophile Shannon McCoole.

Mr Barklay said Tokputza had abused a boy as young as 17-months-old.

He had also offered to a Swiss man that he could “hook you up” with young children if he travelled to Thailand.

“That is another layer that in my submission makes it all the more serious,” he said.

Mr Barklay said there was “not one word of remorse or contrition or regret for the offending” from Tokputza.

“Your Honour should find that troubling,” he said.

He said his lack of insight included that he felt his victims “were happy”.

Judge Chapman said the found the whole case troubling.

“There’s been such abhorrent offending against so many young boys … it’s just terrible, there is no doubt about that,” she said.

Craig Caldicott, for Tokputza, said elements of his “terrible” upbringing from a young age “did not excuse but explained” his offending.

He said his client had a moderate risk of reoffending and needed rehabilitation.

“He clearly fits the description of a paedophile,” he said.

Mr Caldicott said Tokputza had “taken a fatalistic approach” knowing he was likely to spend a lengthy time behind bars.

The court heard Tokputza will be declared a serious repeat offender, meaning the court must sentence an offender with a non-parole period no less than 4/5 of the head sentence.

Mr Caldicott urged Judge Chapman not impose a “crushing” prison term when she sentences Tokputza next month.