Former council worker jailed for accessing 'abhorrent' child abuse material again
A former council worker has been jailed after police found 'abhorrent' child abuse material on his phone just four days after he got it.
A former council worker has been jailed after he was caught with ‘abhorrent’ child abuse material on his mobile phone for the second time in seven years.
Atherton man, Terrence Ranijie Sullivan, 50, pleaded guilty in Cairns District Court last week to using a carriage service to access child abuse material in June 2024, and was sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment by Judge Joshua Trevino KC.
The court was told Sullivan was a “reportable offender” so he had to let police know when he had a new electronic device, which he did in June last year.
When police came to do a spot check on Sullivan’s new phone four days after he got it, they found he had 36 images downloaded from a Russian website.
The court was told he had a previous similar conviction; in 2019, Sullivan was sentenced for possessing child abuse material and trading it with four other people. At that time, he had more than 10,000 images and 411 films on his device, the court was told.
Judge Trevino said there was “no need” to explain the detail of the more recent images on Sullivan’s phone in open court, but said it was “safe to say it is abhorrent material.”
The images found among the 36 was mostly category 1 material, which includes images of children under 13 engaged in a seemingly sexual act and category 2 material, which can include post-pubescent children under 18, as well as depictions of physical abuse and torture of a child.
Defence barrister Jon Seccull said that, aside from the child abuse material, Sullivan was “otherwise of good character and has a good work history”, working for Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council over the years and at two Cairns smash repairs businesses.
He said Sullivan was the primary carer for his elderly father and had sought out psycho-therapy to address his issues.
“He’s been typically employed in labouring roles, sometimes working Aboriginal councils, sometimes in Cairns. He has engaged in volunteer work, which is to his credit,” Mr Seccull said.
Judge Trevino set a non-parole period of 18 months on Sullivan’s sentence of three years and nine months imprisonment.
“You offending is not a victimless crime - real children are abused to create the material you accessed,” Judge Trevino said.
“Your offending helps to support and maintain a market for this material, and you play a role in the continued corruption and victimisation and exploitation of real children.”
“General deterrence must be the primary sentencing consideration having regard to just how prevalent this material is on the internet and the acute need to protect our children from sexual abuse, and the difficulty in detecting this material.”
Originally published as Former council worker jailed for accessing 'abhorrent' child abuse material again
