Leslie James Kyte fronts court on child exploitation charges

A diesel mechanic turned twisted child predator committed crimes so depraved, some details can only be unsealed by a judge. Now, a court has been warned of the retribution that awaits him in a Queensland jail.

Leslie James Kyte’s evil abuse of young boys might have gone unpunished had the mother of one of his victims not found a disturbing letter written to her son by the depraved predator.

On October 4, 2016, the woman discovered the chilling letter which Crown Prosecutor Carla Ahern told the court “set out the writer’s love for little boys”, offering the child $50 to be the victim of a sexual offence.

The letter was reported to the police, but the defendant, who was in his 60s at the time, was not able to be found.

Later, it would be revealed Kyte had already sexually assaulted the pre-teen boy by luring him with the offer of driving lessons.

Instead, he drove the child to a toilet block and sexually assaulted him before placing a $50 note in his pants and telling him not to tell anyone.

On August 5, 2020, a search warrant was issued for Kyte’s home where evidence of his offending sat in plain sight.

“Police observed that his computer screen did contain (child exploitation) material,” Ms Ahern said.

Kyte’s computer screen saver and wallpaper both depicted the abuse of young boys.

When Kyte attended an interview with police, “ … he admitted that he would likely have possessed thousands of child exploitation images and videos” according to Ms Ahern.

“He also made admissions during the search and the interview that he obtained child exploitation material from websites,” she said.

Kyte was found to be in possession of 488 unique Interpol Category 1 images featuring children under the age of 10 and 38 videos showing boys aged between 8 and 15.

“He had that material for five or six years,” Ms Ahern told the court.

It was then he made full admissions of his offending, including the keeping of a disgusting diary which he told police was to document his “conquests” and “training” of an 11-year-old boy who he abused over a three-month period.

The court heard that eighteen out of 22 images in the diary were indecent and how Kyte had boasted in the diary about buying the child gifts like iPhones, video games and scooters “to ensure that the complainant would comply”.

Twelve incidents of sexual assault are documented by Kyte in the digital diary, which also contained exploitation videos.

A hard copy of the diary was handed to the court, with an order ultimately made that the evidence be sealed after sentencing unless a court order was made to open the envelope.

The court heard that Kyte admitted to police that he had told the child, who was the subject of the sexual abuse in the diary, that if he told his parents, he would go to jail.

Ms Ahern told the court Kyte admitted to police he’d told the boy: “It’s your choice, if I get caught, you get caught and I’m gonna end up in jail. They’re gonna kill me, honestly, if I go to jail.”

She said she believed it was why the victim mentioned in the diary had never disclosed the offending to police.

Kyte had shared the exploitation material he’d made of the boy with other offenders.

The sick offender enlisted the help of a third party to take a letter to one of his victim’s homes.

While in custody, Kyte sent a man into the home of the boy who was abused in the diary, to deliver a letter from him.

The court heard Kyte had lamented the loss of the “relationship” with the boy rather than his wrongdoing.

“He told the author: ‘I feel ashamed ‘cause he will hate me, he has lost faith in me and I would like someone to talk to him for me’ and then he’s then taken those steps with that letter,” Ms Ahern said.

Ms Ahern said a third boy, aged 12, had been targeted by Kyte who offered money in exchange for sex acts, but the child refused.

A victim impact statement from one of Kyte’s victims was handed to the court, describing the sadness he felt.

Defence barrister Simone Bain also handed a letter to the court in which Kyte had explained his own childhood and life.

Ms Bain said her client, a former diesel mechanic, had a deteriorating physical condition and had been assaulted twice in prison.

“Even when he was put in some form of protection and isolation … there was in fact further punishment because he was then isolated from his room,” she said.

“His personal items were taken and his inner sense of belonging that he has settled into prison was disrupted by being moved again because he was assaulted.”

Ms Bain said it was “unfortunate” Kyte would have to deal with being assaulted on a regular basis while in jail, given the nature of his offending.

In sentencing, Judge Nathan Jarro said offenders like Kyte deserved the full contempt of the community.

“Now Mr Kyte, your offending can be described as perverted, evil, depraved and grossly offensive,” he said.

“These are terrible offences committed against real children.

“It is those children who deserve full protection from people like you who commit such sorts of offences.

“You are a foolish old predator who offended against children some 55 years younger than you.”

Kyte pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16, one count of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child, one count of making child exploitation material, two counts of possessing child exploitation material, one count of distributing child exploitation material, one count of using a carriage service to access child exploitation material and one count of intended indecent treatment of a child under 16, under 12.

He was sentenced to six years’ prison and will be eligible for parole from July 28, 2022, taking into account 601 days spent in pre-sentence custody.

Convictions were recorded.

As Kyte was led away from the dock in handcuffs, he smiled and told his barrister “thank you”.