RAAF Sergeant Jacob Donald Walsh abandons bid for bail, on child abuse charges, thanks to Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team

An RAAF officer accused of child abuse crimes has given up on his bid for bail – thanks to the SA police officers who brought down Australia’s worst pedophile.

A Royal Australian Air Force sergeant charged with child abuse crimes has abandoned his bid for bail due to investigations by a police officer who brought down the nation’s worst sex offender.

On Friday, the Supreme Court heard Sergeant Jacob Donald Walsh has also agreed to surrender all of his online passwords to SA’s Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET).

John Lyons, for Sgt Walsh, said his client was “agreeable” to remaining in jail, having read an affidavit from SA Police Detective Brevet Sergeant Stephen Hegarty.

“The new information from Detective Sergeant Hegarty puts a whole new complexion on things,” he said.

“We would be boxing with shadows in relation to trying to continue this application for bail, as far as our client is concerned.

“He’s agreeable to staying in custody, to co-operating with police and to providing all passwords in relation to the accounts mentioned in the affidavit.”

Detective Brevet Sergeant Stephen Hegarty, left, and Sergeant Jonathon Coats, right, from the SA Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team. Picture Sarah Reed.

In 2017, Detective Sergeant Hegarty was part of a JACET operation that brought down Ruecha Tokputza, who had abused children in Australia and overseas.

Known as “the child collector”, Tokputza amassed almost 900,000 images of abuse before he was arrested, and is serving a record 40-year prison term.

Sgt Walsh, 35, of Blakeview, has yet to plead to 18 aggravated counts and 19 basic counts of producing child exploitation material.

He is further charged with two counts of making a child amenable to sex and one count of causing a child to expose themselves.

Sgt Walsh is also accused of two counts of dishonestly communicating with a child, and one count of doing so to make them amenable to sex.

Finally, he is charged with one count of disseminating child exploitation material online.

Upon his arrest last month, JACET alleged Sgt Walsh’s offending took place over an eight-month period.

After he was granted bail by the Elizabeth Magistrates Court, prosecutors appealed that decision to the Supreme Court.

On Friday, Mr Lyons asked the court to let Sgt Walsh formally withdraw his bail application, rather than grant the prosecution’s appeal.

“It’s going to take a long time to get to the bottom of things, in relation to all of the accounts mentioned by Detective Sergeant Hegarty,” he said.

“I’d much rather there not be a Supreme Court ruling against my client that precludes him from seeking bail in the future”

Justice Tim Stanley agreed, remanding Sgt Walsh in custody to face the Adelaide Magistrates Court in November.

The RAAF has yet to respond to inquiries, from The Advertiser, as to whether Sgt Walsh has been suspended from his post or is continuing to receive his full salary.