Magistrate tells court he doesn’t have time to read aloud Alexander Ehinome Omo-Irefo’s 45 charges for pleas
An Adelaide magistrate has told a lawyer to take a trip to Mount Gambier to get a proper plea from his client, who is facing 45 child abuse material charges.
Police & Courts
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An Adelaide magistrate has told a lawyer he doesn’t have “time or patience” to read out dozens of child abuse material charges against a teenage, instead advising him to go to Mount Gambier jail.
On Thursday, Magistrate Simon Smart told counsel for Alexander Ehinome Omo-Irefo, 19, he would not read out each of the 45 charges against their client to take pleas – because the court did not have time.
“I’m not reading 43 charges. I don’t have time, or patience to read 43 charges,” Mr Smart said.
The court heard counsel for Mr Omo-Irefo, of Paralowie, had attempted to take written guilty pleas from their client – currently held in Mount Gambier prison – but they were delivered “unclear”.
“I have some written instructions as to the answer to the charge, but they are somewhat unclear,” defence counsel said.
“In the abundance of caution, I would be grateful for Your Honour to read the charges to Mr Omo-Irefo.”
Mr Smart responded reading more than 40 individual charges out loud would take a long time, and suggested counsel take a trip to Mount Gambier and retake written pleas.
“I suggest what you do is sit down with him and go through each one, endorse his plea, and witness his plea on the information … I realise it’s a practical difficulty for you but there’s 47 charges,” Mr Smart said.
His Honour adjourned the matter to have Mr Omo-Irefo brought to the courthouse directly.
The 19-year-old is yet to enter a plea to 43 counts of disseminate child exploitation material and two counts of being knowingly in possession of child exploitation material. Two counts of disseminating were previously dropped.
Court documents allege Mr Omo-Irefo’s first offence occurred in October of 2023 – just months after he turned 18 – and allegedly involved disseminating or taking “a step in the dissemination of child exploitation material, knowing of its pornographic nature”.
The 19-year-old was arrested by the Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team – a joint operation by SA Police and the AFP – in June this year.
Mr Smart remanded Mr Omo-Irefo in custody, to appear in court later this month.
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