Andrew William Richards pleads guilty to paying $65k to child abusers

This man pleaded guilty to paying child abusers $65,000 to watch kids get victimised – now see him try to claim that he only did it to rescue them.

An Adelaide man has pleaded guilty to paying child abusers in the Philippines $65,000 to watch their crimes live and online over a 15-year period.

In the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday, Andrew William Richards confessed to abhorrent crimes that leave him liable to serve a 25-year prison term.

Outside court, however, Richards told a different story – insisting he had acted to help law enforcement officials around the world, not encourage harm to children.

He claimed to have spent the money purchasing “17 houses” for orphans to live in, saving them from a life of exploitation, and that he was proud of what he had done.

“I was into child rescue … you’ve got to have pictures and that to win the confidence of the terrorists,” he said.

Asked why he had pleaded guilty, Richards replied: “I’m not going to fight … I want the truth to come out, and it’s going to come out.”

Andrew William Richards outside the Adelaide Magistrates Court. Picture: Tricia Watkinson.

Richards, 62, of Elizabeth, pleaded to two counts of encouraging child sex offences outside of Australia and using a carriage service to access child exploitation material.

He was arrested by the SA Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team in July last year, following investigations by another agency.

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre identified and singled out payments he had made, and was making, to persons in the Philippines.

Court documents assert that, since 2006, Richards had paid “known facilitators of child abuse material” approximately $65,000 to view their activities.

During a search of Richards’ home, officers located child abuse material and extensive communication with residents of the Philippines.

Information gleaned during the search was provided to Philippines authorities to try to identify the victims and perpetrators.

On Thursday, after entering his guilty pleas, Richards was remanded on continuing bail to face the District Court in September, when a date for sentencing will be set.

Outside court, Richards said he looked forward to his September hearing.

“I grabbed them to use them for the terrorists, to gain their confidence, so someone could go and do the rescue,” he said.

“I bought 17 houses over the years … it’s where the kids ended up safe and secure because they’re all orphans.

“Everything will come out in the wash at the end … the name of the game is getting into the District Court, then it will all come out.”