David Robert Collier in court for failing to report contact with children

A Somerset man convicted of horrific child sex offences said he was not aware of his reporting obligations after failing to report moving to a new address where he shared a home with two children.

Convicted child sex offender David Robert Collier pleaded guilty to three charges of fail to comply with reporting obligations in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday.

A convicted child sex offender failed to declare he had moved into a new address where he was sharing a home with children.

David Robert Collier, 79, pleaded guilty to three charges of failing to comply with reporting obligations in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday.

Police prosecutor Leon Casey told the court Collier had been convicted of two offences involving the sexual penetration of children in Victoria in 2013.

As a result of his conviction, he was required to report for the remainder of his life any change of address to the Child Protection Offender Registry and change of employment to the police commissioner within seven days.

The court heard Collier reported to the CPOR that he had moved to a new address at a farm in Colinton, in the Somerset Region, on January 29, 14 days after moving to that address.

In that report Collier informed the CPOR that two children were also living on the farm, but he failed to report that he had had contact with those children.

Bundaberg court heard David Robert Collier failed to report he had had contact with two children who were staying at his new address.

The court also heard Collier had started working for the husband of the owner of the farm as an excavator driver, and had failed to report commencing that employment within the required seven days.

Representing himself, Collier said he made a miscalculation around his reporting deadlines, and he was not aware that knowing the names of children constituted having contact with them.

“It is obviously in my conditions, but I don’t have anything to say about that except I just wasn’t aware of it,” Collier said.

“But it doesn’t matter, I’ve done something wrong and I need to pay the price.”

The magistrate told Collier “it is an obligation you’ve got, whether you’re aware of it or not”.

Mr Casey submitted Collier should be sentenced to a period of probation, given the risk to the children living at Collier’s new address and to remind him of his reporting obligations.

The magistrate agreed, sentencing Collier to 12 months probation.

Convictions were recorded.

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