Far North QLD pedophiles busted with child exploitation material revealed
A young Cairns man busted with the vilest of child exploitation videos is just one of many Far North pedophiles who were in possession of horrific material when police came knocking.
Cairns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cairns. Followed categories will be added to My News.
From police officers to retired mathematics teachers, these are the people in the Far North who have been busted with horrific images and videos of children.
All the offenders listed below either pleaded guilty or were convicted of possessing child exploitation material when they fronted the courts.
Cairns CBD, CPIU Officer in Charge Detective Senior Sergeant Michael Gooiker said he was not sure if child exploitation was more prevalent in the community.
“I think as an organisation and particularly in these areas we have become more sophisticated in how we target them,” he said.
“We’ve put a lot of effort into training staff to operate in the electronic space to forensically triage devices and the CPIU staff are specially trained in interviewing children and victims in sexual assaults and big offenders.
“We are tasked with investigating these matters and bringing these people before the courts within the provision of the law.”
CHARLES WILLIAM EATON
Charles William Eaton, of Mareeba, was found with more than 1000 videos and images of child exploitation material.
He was undone by a police officer pretending to be a teenage girl on Facebook. The police officer told Eaton they were 15 and he began to send sexualised messages, a video of him masturbating and asked the girl to send him one in return.
He pleaded guilty to one count of producing cannabis, possessing more than 500g of cannabis, grooming a child under the age of 16, using electronic communications to procure a child under the age of 16, possessing child exploitation material and possessing utensils or pipes.
The Tablelands Child Protection and Investigation Unit and Task Force Argos found 1094 images and videos across three mediums at his Mareeba address.
Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane said it was concerning because he went from possessing child exploitation material “to circumstances where he’s attempted to engage a young person, even if that young person was a police officer acting in that role”.
Defence barrister Rachelle Logan said he developed an addition to prescription opioids after a back injury and had been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder type one.
Eaton received 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended after serving three months, with a two-year operational period, and a two-year probation order to begin after his release.
SIMEON THOMAS DESLIE DAVIS
Simeon Thomas Deslie Davis, 20, had almost 1000 images and videos of child exploitation material.
He pleaded guilty to seven counts involving possessing and distributing child exploitation material, using a carriage service to access child abuse material and using a hidden or anonymous network to distribute child exploitation material in Cairns District Court in August.
“Aggravating factors are the number of images and the length of time, it would have continued if police did not intervene,” Crown prosecutor Tim Watkins said.
“A further aggravating factor is the specific nature of the images and the age of the children, right down to infants, and the acts inflicted upon the children, including penetration.”
Defence barrister Rachelle Logan said Davis started chatting to an older man when he was about 15 or 16.
“This older fellow exploited his vulnerability,” Ms Logan said.
“The man introduced him to the material and it spiralled from there.”
She said the man was Matthew Stephen Warren, 36, who was sentenced for multiple offences.
Formerly an Edge Hill bookkeeper Warren, 36, was sentenced in March this year to six years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to three counts of using a carriage service for child abuse material, one count of using a carriage service to transmit indecent communication to a person under 16 years of age, and one count of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service.
Judge Paul Smith said it was a difficult matter but because the images were so serious Davis had to go to jail.
He sentenced him to 18 months’ imprisonment, to be released after two months, with a combined probation and a recognisance order of two years.
He was also given a concurrent 18-month sentence, suspended after serving two months, with an operational period of two years.
JASON BRUCE HANNA
Jason Hanna, 39, an Edmonton police officer and former Australian Defence Force veteran had hundreds of child exploitation images on his phone with some girls as young as three. He was a serving constable at Edmonton police station at the time of his offending, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child exploitation material and one count of contravening a requirement to provide a passcode in the Cairns District Court in February
Crown prosecutor Tegan Grasso told the court after a search warrant was executed police found 391 images which were collected by him over two months.
Ms Grasso said 117 of those depicted a pre-pubescent child under 13 who engaged in sexual activity deemed the worst category of child exploitation material.
Defence counsel Justin Sibley tendered to the court references, an apology letter and reports from a psychiatrist.
Ms Sibly said Hanna was exposed to physical and sexual abuse as a child.
Judge Tracey Fantin said the fact he was a serving police officer was an aggravating but not an overwhelming factor.
Hanna was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment on the two charges, suspended after serving five months.
RUSSELL OWEN LORBACK
Russell Owen Lorback, 76, was a retired mathematics teacher who collected 678,000 child abuse images, a court heard.
He pleaded guilty to seven child abuse offences in the Cairns Supreme Court in February, including one count of persistent sexual abuse of a child outside Australia, and possessing child exploitation material.
In February Justice Jim Henry sentenced him to six years’ imprisonment with a parole eligibility date after serving three years.
The court heard he had 678,581 files. Justice Henry described his principal offending as chatting to a number of children or their family in the Philippines, “trawling for sexual imagery from multiple children”.
Over two years, the court heard he was able to get one child to perform sexually explicit shows.
“It is obvious on the whole of the information before me that these were performances provided for your gratuitous sexual enjoyment over the internet, in return for payment from you,” he said.
“And that the nature of the activity occurred because you requested it and paid for it to occur, obviously without genuine regard to the welfare of those involved, in that they were children.”
A psychologist report tendered detailed Lorback had two marriages with the second one struggling because his wife wanted to move to Australia.
“It is obvious though that in your older years in the absence of a life partner and living away from family, in a community where you have no long-term connections, you became an isolated and lonely person with a lack of intimacy in your life,” Justice Henry said.
DARRYN JAMES HOARE
Darryn James Hoare, 21, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to possessing “the worst category of offending” of child exploitation material.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing child exploitation material in the Cairns District Court in September 2021.
Crown prosecutor Gelma Meoli said after a warrant was executed police found three videos on one of Hoare’s phones and another one had four videos.
The court heard the videos were category one – the worst in the scale of the courts. The videos involved children ranging from three up to 13 years.
Defence barrister Brydie Bilic told the court his parents split when he was three and he was raised by his mother and parents.
“He doesn’t have an answer why and he wants one for himself. he recognises that is going to be pivotal in moving forward,” Ms Bilic said.
Judge Dean Morzone said all the children were real children.
“And it’s conduct against them that is the most vile and degrading of its type. It’s there to fuel the morally corrupt and depraved and wicked market where you find yourself,” he said.
Judge Morzone sentenced Hoare to nine months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months after serving three months behind bars.
He also sentenced him to an 18-month probation order.
KEITH CARDWELL
A well-known dive instructor, Keith Cardwell, was found with hundreds of images that were in the most serious category of child pornography.
Cardwell, who pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service for child exploitation material and one count of possession of child exploitation material, has been stripped of his Blue Card and will no longer be able to work as a dive instructor.
Cardwell showed police where the photos were stored on his computer after a search warrant was executed.
More than 500 images were found which most depicted young children having sex with adults.
Judge Tracy Fanton said Cardwell was more worried about his personal reputation and showed “no significant insight” into his offending initially.
“Every time you access (that type of material) you support a market for the … corruption and exploitation of children,” she said.
Judge Fantin sentenced him to 15 months in jail with a parole release date after three months, along with a two-year good behaviour bond despite both prosecution and defence submitting he didn’t need actual jail time.
He appealed his sentence but it was thrown out by the Court of Appeal in May 2021.
SCOTT CRAIG NEWTON
Scott Craig Newton, 48, had more than 2000 “depraved” child exploitation images on his devices, a court heard.
He pleaded guilty to one count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material and one count of possessing child exploitation material in Cairns District Court in May.
Prosecutor Abi Juniper said a large number of the images depicted the worst kind of material of pre-pubescent males.
The court heard Newton had a previous conviction of child abuse material but was not a registered sex offender.
Defence barrister James Sheridan said there was a degree of co-operation during the police search.
Mr Sheridan said it wasn’t 2000 clicks but Newton clicked on a link that downloaded a large zip file.
“He acted alone, there was no dissemination and no children in the household,” he said.
Judge Smith sentenced Mr Newton to 15 months’ prison, to be released after five months, on the first count, and three years’ probation on the second count.
TYSON BRYAN ANTHONY FRANKLIN
Tyson Bryan Anthony Franklin was a former Cairns podiatrist who downloaded 2000 child pornography images.
Franklin, 28, was handed two years’ probation in 2019 after being sentenced in the Cairns District Court for possession of child exploitation material.
Cairns prosecutor Claudia Georgouras said the thoughts were always in his head since he was a teenager.
“(He said) ‘rape fantasy is something that most guys could agree with’,” she said.
The court heard he downloaded images of pre-teen girls three times a day on average every day for the course of one year and nine months.
Defence lawyer Josh Trevino said the offending caused the career he created to come to an end.
The court heard Franklin was influenced by an upbringing exposed to abuse.
“It was explained by underlying mental health … an outcome of not being courageous enough to seek help,” Judge Dean Morzone said.
More Coverage
Originally published as Far North QLD pedophiles busted with child exploitation material revealed
Inside US Navy’s largest missile sub during Brisbane visit
USS Ohio's sailors are breathing fresh air in Brisbane after joining the Talisman Sabre military exercise, as a rare tour reveals life inside America's most heavily-armed submarine. PICTURES
Alleged drunk driver charged over multi-car cane train incident
A minor traffic bingle involving an alleged drunk driver had serious consequences on Wednesday after a car was hit by a cane train and another vehicle ended up in a ditch.