Former teacher Dylan McCrossin ordered to serve sentence for downloading vile child abuse material at his mother’s house

Letting a former teacher serve his child abuse sentence sleeping on his mother’s floor won’t undermine the community’s faith in justice and won’t put it at risk, a judge says.

Allowing a teacher who downloaded vile child abuse material to serve his sentence sleeping on his mother’s floor undermines neither proper punishment nor the public’s confidence in justice, a judge says.

On Thursday, the District Court ordered Dylan McCrossin serve his minimum nine-month term on home detention at his mother’s residence.

Judge Ian Press said the material McCrossin downloaded included images and videos of the worst legal category, involving acts of sadism against children under the age of 14.

However, he said McCrossin now had insight into the wrongfulness of his actions and felt genuine shame, guilt and remorse.

The community would be best served, he said, by McCrossin remaining within it so he could continue the rehabilitative treatment he had already commenced - which would be cut off of he went to jail.

“Your moral culpability is relevant … as a teacher who had undertaken courses in (anti-child abuse), you know all too well the insidious effect such abuse will have on children,” he said.

“The community will be best served by a sentence that allows you to continue treatment and leaves you with the threat of imprisonment hanging over your head.

“A home detention order will not put the community at risk nor undermine punishment or general deterrence, nor otherwise effect the public’s confidence in justice.”

Dylan McCrossin outside court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Morgan Sette.

McCrossin, 39, pleaded guilty to both aggravated and basic counts of possessing child exploitation material.

His arrest prompted the Department of Education to notify parents at seven schools where he had performed relief duties.

Counsel for McCrossin told the court their client had “basically, monumentally, stuffed up his life”, was remorseful and fully accepted responsibility for his crimes.

They asked that, rather than prison, he be allowed to serve a home detention sentence – sleeping on his mother’s loungeroom floor.

McCrossin asked to receive a home detention sentence. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Morgan Sette.

On Thursday, Judge Press said it would be inappropriate to give McCrossin the full 40 per cent discount available under previous legislation.

He instead discounted his sentence by 35 per cent, ordering he serve a term of 15 months and 19 days.

He imposed a nine-month non-parole period, all of which was to be served under home detention conditions.