Kerry Large jailed for five years for multiple child sexual offences

A Kimba predator who impersonated a child to prey on other children has learnt his punishment.

A pedophile has been jailed for five years after he impersonated a 15-year-old boy online to prey on children overseas, a court heard.

Kerry Leigh Large, 48, then hid his devices containing vile images in his workplace bathroom during a police search.

During sentencing, the Supreme Court heard Large’s offending, which was committed in October 2022, involved him initiating a conversation with a child – or a person he believed was a child – over Facebook Messenger.

“The manner in which the accused conversed with his victims may fairly be described as manipulative, exacerbated by his impersonation of a 15 year old boy to deceive his victims into believing that they were speaking with a person of roughly the same age,” Chief Justice Chris Kourakis said.

“The pattern revealed by the messages is one of brief periods of attempted rapport-building, followed by persistent requests for nude photographs.”

Kerry Large was jailed after he preyed on children online. Photo: File

The court heard the ages of the children ranged from 13 to 16 and each purported to be located internationally.

“I accept that the objective of the solicitation offences was to procure child exploitation material and not to groom the children for physical sexual interactions,” Chief Justice Kourakis said.

The court heard police officers attended at Large’s workplace in November 2022 and searched his devices, which contained over 600 images of child exploitation material.

The court heard Large initially attempted to conceal the devices containing the child exploitation material in a bathroom at his workplace.

However, they came to the attention of investigating officers when they were found by some of Large’s workmates.

Large, of Kimba, pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including communicating with a child with the intention of procuring them for sexual activity and possessing child exploitation material.

The court heard Large moved to South Australia for a fresh start and to take up employment at an agricultural business in Kimba after being released from prison in Tasmania for child sexual offences in 2022.

The court heard prosecution made an application in August 2023 for Large to be indefinitely detained on the basis that he is unable or unwilling to control his sexual instincts.

Chief Justice Kourakis said the sexual exploitation of children was of great concern to the community and sentenced Large to five years and one month jail, with a non-parole period of four years and one month.

The sentence was backdated to November 10, 2022.

The application for Large’s indefinite detention was adjourned until next year.