Ted Martin Gladman convicted of child sex grooming by Argos operation

Believing he was meeting a child and her mum for sex, a Bundaberg painter was lured to a motel room. His desires landed him in a court which heard his own family was in “complete shock”.

Ted Martin Gladman pleaded guilty to a charge of grooming a child under 16 years to engage in a sexual act in Bundaberg Magistrates court.

A house painter and father of a young child was lured to a Bundaberg motel amid a Taskforce Argos operation after grooming a fictitious 14-year-old girl and her mother for sex.

Ted Martin Gladman pleaded guilty in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Wednesday to one charge of grooming a child under 16 years to engage in a sexual act.

According to police documents tendered in court, Gladman responded to an advertisement on a website.

The advertisement purported to be from a mother and daughter travelling through the Bundaberg region “looking to meet a guy for fun”, and alluded to “the sexual initiation of a young person”.

After Gladman, 30, responded to the advertisement through the Locanto messaging system, mobile phone numbers were exchanged and he began communicating with a person he understood to be the girl’s mother via SMS.

Gladman sent a picture of his penis to the 'Mother' of the 'child', saying he would “take it easy and go at your and your daughter’s pace”.

Police allege Gladman stated his name and said “so will it be a bit of fun with both of you?” and “always wanted a Mum and daughter”.

Through the ensuing conversation, in which Gladman was informed on several occasions the ‘daughter’ was a child aged 14 years old, he discussed the size of his penis and sent a photo of it to the girl’s ‘mother’, saying he would “take it easy and go at you and your daughter’s pace”.

When the discussion turned to the use of a condom to prevent the “child” from becoming pregnant, Gladman said “yeah that’s ok, I don’t (have one) but I can get 1? (sic)”.

Gladman arranged with the “mother” to meet her and her daughter at a Bundaberg East motel, and he was intercepted and arrested by Argos detectives upon arriving at the motel after picking up condoms on the way.

Gladman made a full confession to police including admitting that he was aware who he believed to be the daughter was 14 and he was on his way to meeting the girl for a sexual encounter.

The court heard Gladman has his own child.

Gladman’s lawyer, Matt Maloy, told the court his client had worked as a machine operator and completed an apprenticeship in painting which remained his current line of work.

The court heard Gladman was in a 12-month relationship and had a daughter who was not in his care.

Gladman’s father provided a letter of reference stating it was a “complete shock” that his son “would be involved in these sort of matters”.

In sentencing, Magistrate John McInnes noted that child sex offenders were often “socially isolated, hermit-type people, ill-disposed socially … living their life online more than living in the real world”.

“I think you were heading for that before this happened, it’s been a wake up call,” Mr McInnes said.

Gladman was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months, and is subject to reporting requirements under the Child Protection Act.