Families SA child abuser Shannon McCoole weeps during apology — before his hypocrisy was exposed
FAMILIES SA child abuser Shannon McCoole wept in court and told his victims he hates himself — but a Christmas message he sent to fellow paedophiles exposes his monstrous hypocrisy.
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FAMILIES SA child abuser Shannon McCoole wept in court and told his victims he hates himself — but a Christmas message he sent to fellow paedophiles exposes his monstrous hypocrisy.
McCoole, 32, committed horrific crimes of abuse against at least seven victims as young as 18 months in state care, and today came face to face with their family members in court.
He wept as they told him of the devastation he had caused — and then read out a tearful apology.
“It’s hard to explain how I committed these crimes, even to myself,” he said.
“I hate who I am and what I have done.”
He said he took the Families SA job thinking that he could help children, but was “lonely, depressed” when he committed the crimes.
But his claims of deep remorse were immediately questioned by Judge Paul Rice, who read out a post which McCoole wrote to his fellow administrators on a child pornography website in late 2012.
“This has been a hard year for (suppressed website) and myself, but for all the issues you guys have managed to push through and continue to not only deliver a quality board but helped to build upon our already good reputation,” McCoole wrote.
“(This website) is something I’m very proud to be involved in and something I wish I could share with those close to me. If I could write all of you references I would.
“We do something that thousands rely on and visit almost daily and we do it with risk to our lives and while hiding from the law.
“This is a huge undertaking and something that most others would do only for reward. The simple thing is that at (suppressed website) we don’t get any rewards we just put in a lot of effort. I hope this gives you something special for Christmas whether you celebrate it or not.
“This material is not to be shared outside the admin team, some of it is my own personal material and some of it is extremely private and you will be the first people to view it. Don’t be the grinch and ruin Christmas.”
Attached to the post were two category 4 images of girls who he had abused.
In addition to multiple counts of abuse and child pornography, McCoole today pleaded guilty to new Commonwealth charges of transmitting child pornography and urging others to transmit child pornography.
The court heard that he was the administrator of a child pornography site which had more than 1000 members.
It required the members to post a different child pornography image at least once every 30 days.
In his apology, McCoole said he should have asked for help for his “disorder” when he was younger and realised what he was.
He told the court he found like-minded people on the internet who justified his actions and made him feel normal.
McCoole promised to never to harm a child again and said it was difficult to hear other people call him a “monster”.
He also apologised to his Families SA co-workers for deceiving them.
Judge Rice will sentence McCoole at a later date.
SHANNON McCOOLE’S APOLOGY
I’d like to apologise to my victims first. I’m sorry for what I have done. I have failed you in your time of need and I broke your trust, I took advantage of your need for a role model. I should have been the person protecting you, but instead I gave in to my urges and failed you. I hope you are getting the help you need to move past what I have done. My actions were inexcusable. I will never forgive myself for failing you or forget the damage and pain I have caused in your life. I would do anything to take it back.
I would also like to apologise to the victims’ families. I did not take the job with the intention of hurting your children. I lied to myself believing that I had control of my disorder and put myself in a position I now know I never should have. I'm sorry I let my problem affect you. I cannot imagine the pain I have caused you. I'm sorry I was not a better person and that I abused your children.
I’d also like to apologise to my former workmates and staff at Nanny SA, I know I deceived the staff at Families SA and that my actions have affected all staff at both organisations. I have deceived and hurt children you cared for. Please do not let my failings affect the passion and good work you do. I’m sorry my actions have traumatised you. I was not thinking about the impact my crimes would have on my victims or you and I hate myself for what I have done. I have seen the pain I have caused you and I will never forgive myself. My fear and being rejected and being alone stopped me getting help and now it’s too late. I also want to thank you (his parents) for your support and honesty, I wish I had been a better son.
I also want to apologise to society, the police and the courts. What I have done has impacted the wider community, forced the police to have to view and be affected by my crimes and costs the court’s time and money.
It’s hard to understand or explain how I could commit these crimes, even to myself. I hate what I am and I hate what I have done. I made choices when I was lonely and heavily depressed that led me to associating with others like me. I found that when I first found people online who understood the loneliness and hate I had for myself, I felt that I was not as alone as I first thought. I had found people who understood my attraction. They made me feel normal, the more I talked to others, the more I justified my attraction to myself. Through the website I thought I was helping others like me when I was really hurting children in the image and videos. I became more isolated and spent more and more time online. I surrounded myself with people who justified the exploitation of children and I became one of them. I thought I had control of myself after not having given in to my attraction. I had worked with children for several years and never given in to my attraction.
The passion I have developed about the care of children and helping them with recovering or dealing with trauma makes it a lot harder to accept what I have done but it is what helped me to try and stop abusing the children and leave the internet activities I was a part of. Having seen the damage I have had to acknowledge what I have done to my victims’ lives and I will never forgive myself for it. I would do anything to take it all back.
It has been hard for me and my family trying to deal with the media attention and the comments labelling me a monster and that I should be executed. I believe I am a better person than who I was when I committed the crimes, I know that I will never harm another child and the help I am receiving will help prevent me from being the person I was when I committed the offences.
This is my chance to do the right thing — I owe it to myself, my family, and especially my victims. I’ll never forgive myself for what I have done and I’m sorry I hurt so many people.