Modbury Monster: Henry Anthony Sergi jailed for 15 years for abusing child handcuffed in cage

This man bound a child in handcuffs, placed her in a cage in his home and filmed himself molesting her in one of SA’s most vile cases of sexual abuse.

Henry Sergi locked a 12-year-old girl in a cage in his Modbury North home before sexually abusing her and filming the humiliation. Picture: Facebook

A northeastern-suburbs predator placed a 12-year-old girl in handcuffs, locked her in a cage and filmed himself abusing her.

Henry Anthony Sergi, 63, of Modbury North, was jailed for more than 15 years on Thursday for the horrific abuse of the victim sporadically over three years.

Henry Sergi initially pleaded not guilty and blamed the victim. Picture: Facebook

Sergi, a former Holden worker, army reservist and Red Cross volunteer, starting abusing the child when she was 12.

During sentencing submissions District Court Judge Michael Burnett heard Sergi left videos of his abuse lying around his home on USBs, compact discs and hard drives.

When police raided his home, Sergi was found to have 390 images of the child in various states of undress, as well as being abused.

He also had 672 images and one video of other children being abused.

He was charged and initially pleaded not guilty to nine charges including producing child exploitation material and maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child.

He pleaded guilty at arraignment in the District Court.

“This offending was predatory, planned and ongoing,” the prosecution said.

“When the defendant was arrested he was certainly cooperative with police but he was seeking to deflect his involvement in what we say is horrendous offending and he was laying the blame on the (victim).

“He was saying that she instigated many of these things and that he did things at her request. She was a child.”

Sergi was jailed for at least 12 years. Picture: Facebook

Judge Burnett said some of the videos filmed the child handcuffed to the top of a cage.

A family member of Sergi left court as Judge Burnett listed the abuse perpetrated against the victim.

Judge Burnett said that victim-impact statements read to the court showed the abuse had devastated the victim and her family.

Counsel for Sergi submitted numerous reference letters attesting to the 63-year-old’s “kindness and generosity”.

However, Judge Burnett said Sergi’s offending was a gross breach of trust and involved humiliating and degrading acts towards the young victim.

Sergi was sentenced to a total of 15 years, four months and seven days in prison with a mandatory four-fifths non-parole period of 12 years, three months and 11 days.

He listened to the sentence with his head bowed, not reacting.

With time already served he will be eligible for parole in early 2035.