Child groomer, sex offender Jacob Donald Walsh – who had 11,000 videos – weeps in court, blames autism for his crimes

An Adelaide ex-RAAF intelligence officer whose appalling list of child-sex crimes was described as “breathtaking in scope” has broken down in court, blaming his autism.

Australia’s worst-ever sex offender has given a tearful apology in court for deceiving and grooming children – then blamed internet addiction, military secrecy and autism for his hundreds of crimes.

On Thursday, former RAAF intelligence expert Sergeant Jacob Donald Walsh told the District Court he was sorry for betraying his victims, his family, the community and his own “morals and personal values”.

His lawyer, Jon Lyons, said his client was truly remorseful – but insisted he deserved extensive leniency because his “betrayal” had explanations other than personal responsibility.

“He’s a very bright man but he has high-functioning autism … there’s quite a correlation between autism and the inability to appreciate the total extent of the gravity of one’s offending,” he said.

“Autistic people do have an inability to understand the feelings and morality of what they are doing to other people … it’s a sad ailment, something that swamps people.”

Amy Fisher, prosecuting, said Walsh’s diagnosis was not disputed – but its impact upon his offending had been overstated.

Former RAAF Sergeant Jacob Donald Walsh faces a lengthy jail term. Picture: 7NEWS

“If he didn’t know what he was doing was wrong, why did he use a false identity (online), delete his apps before police attended and lie to police?” she said.

“This is a man who had numerous opportunities to stop his offending … he did not do so because he didn’t know it was wrong, but because he didn’t care.

“This offending demonstrates remarkable arrogance on his behalf … he knew he was older, wiser and smarter than his victims and could continue to deceive them for his own needs.

“His conduct is both shocking in its nature and breathtaking in its scope.”

Walsh, 35, of Blakeview, was arrested by detectives from the elite Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team twice, in May and August 2021, for his escalating crimes.

In all, detectives compiled 88,000 pages of evidence against Walsh, detailing eight months spent grooming children for sex via popular social media apps.

Walsh, they told the court, had sent in excess of 1000 messages to his victims while building a collection of 11,000 videos and 141,000 photos of child abuse.

He had, they said, used the identities “Man Mountain” and “Jace Edwards”, and also taught a protege – Cameron Robert Bowen, who is serving a 15-year prison term.

In July last year, he pleaded guilty to 230 offences – the largest child abuse case filed against a single person in Australian history.

It was the third time in three years an SA case had broken the nation’s sex abuse record, after “child collector” Ruecha Tokputza and HIV-positive paedophile syndicate boss Jadd William Brooker.

On Thursday, Walsh – who appeared by video link – read a prepared apology to the court.

“I have spent countless hours laying awake thinking of my crimes and the affect I’ve had on my victims … I’m immensely ashamed … I would like to say I’m sorry,” he said.

Mr Lyons said his client had been addicted to internet pornography since the age of 12, which escalated into child abuse material and then grooming individuals.

He said Walsh’s autism and his military service should result in a lesser-than-normal sentence for “serving his country”.

Ex-RAAF Sergeant Jacob Donald Walsh has wept in court as he apologised for his crimes. Picture: 7NEWS

“He was put in quite dangerous situations in relation to military intelligence, in Syria and the Middle East, that he cannot talk about,” he said.

“He has difficulties talking about his feelings because of gag orders relating to that, and how it affected him.”

Ms Fisher said all of Walsh’s victims – aged between 10 and 16 and living in Australia, the US and Europe – believed they were in genuine romantic relationships with “Jace”.

She said he exploited their trust and their emotional frailty, pressuring them to perform sex acts on video even after being hospitalised or self-harming.

Walsh encouraged one girl, she said, to take her anti-depressants because they made her disinhibited, calling them her “naughty pills”, and counselled another to stay away from “older men”.

“There is no scope to reduce his penalty for his autism diagnosis,” she said.

Judge Tracey Nelson remanded Walsh in custody for further submissions next month.