NAMED: 8 Wide Bay men caught with child abuse images
From carers to cleaners to farm hands, these are the stories of eight men caught with child abuse images, some with thousands of them.
Police & Courts
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It’s a heinous crime that clogs up the court system and leaves multiple tiny victims in its wake.
In the past year, eight Wide Bay men have been sentenced for having child exploitation material.
One was sentenced for the second time for possessing sickeningly sexualised photos of children, both real and lifelike animations.
Another was found in possession of 71 unique images and 27 videos, some of which showed children in sexualised acts with adults.
Wide Bay court lists are increasingly choked with charges linked to child exploitation material.
Here are some of the perpetrators who have been sentenced in local courts.
THANE IAN GRENENGER
Seven months after being released from prison for his vile collection of sexually explicit images of children, a Hervey Bay man was again caught with an arsenal of content depicting young, real-life victims.
He was also found to be reading child sex abuse blogs that included warnings of “hard rape and torture”.
Thane Ian Grenenger, 34, pleaded guilty in Hervey Bay District Court to one count of possessing child exploitation material – previous conviction.
The court heard Grenenger was a repeat offender and had been sentenced previously for the same offence in August 2021 after his collection of 348 videos and 910 images were found.
At the time, Grenenger was sentenced to 15 months in jail, to be released after three months.
The court was told he was subject to a reporting regime that meant his devices could be searched by police.
On October 27, 2022, police went to home and asked him to declare the devices that had internet capability.
Grenenger declared two devices, an Xbox gaming console and a Samsung mobile phone.
An examination of those devices revealed they had been used to access child abuse material, the court was told.
About 60 images were located by police, consistent with the label of child abuse material.
They were a mix of real-life victims and “highly detailed, lifelike, very graphic 3D-type animated-type images” of pre-pubescent children engaged in sexual activity.
Judge Deborah Richards said she could see Grenenger had started to make an effort to deal with the trauma of his childhood.
She also noted he had also seen a psychologist on a couple of occasions.
However, Judge Richards said even looking at animated images or reading blogs like Grenenger was accessing was creating a market for people producing it and that led to serious sexual offences against young children.
She gave Grenenger a notional head sentence of five years in prison, but discounted the sentence by 25 per cent because of his early plea of guilty and a further 10 per cent for his level of co-operation with police.
He was therefore given a sentence of three years and three months with a fixed non parole period of 21 months, incorporating the remaining balance 12 months of the earlier sentence.
Grenenger would become eligible for parole March 14, 2026.
HEATH GRAHAM WILLIAMS
A cleaner who accessed hundreds of child abuse images on his phone also solicited images from a 16-year-old boy using Instagram.
Heath Graham Williams, 37, pleaded guilty in Hervey Bay District Court to using a carriage service to access child abuse material, using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material, using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material to himself and possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service.
The court heard on June 8, 2023, police searched Williams’ home, where they examined his mobile and found child abuse material.
He had accessed multiple websites using his phone on 131 occasions between March 17 and May 29, 2023, to view child abuse material.
Williams was also communicating with a 16-year-old on Instagram, the court heard, in which he solicited child abuse material and caused child abuse material to be transmitted to himself.
Williams possessed 1411 files on his mobile phone which contained child abuse material.
Of those files, 424 were category one, the most serious type, and 987 were category two.
Judge Michael Burnett described the messages between Williams and the 16-year-old boy on Instagram as “highly sexualised”.
“It involved a disgusting and offensive exchange over an extended period of time between yourself and this young person,” he said.
Williams had directed the child to perform sexual acts and to send photos and videos to him, Judge Burnett said.
Judge Burnett said Williams had viewed child exploitation material on multiple websites over a period of about two months.
The images depicted male and female children from toddlers to 15 years old participating in “sexualised posing” to actual penetration, he said.
There had also been an incest theme involved in a number of the searches, Judge Burnett said.
Williams was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison.
He as to be released after four months on a $1000 good behaviour bond, which would be in place for three years and he would also be under the supervision of a probation officer.
DANIEL JOSEPH COTTER
A single photo led to a convicted child sex offender being sentenced to three years in prison.
Daniel Joseph Cotter, 58, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing or controlling child exploitation material when he faced Hervey Bay District Court.
The court heard because of Cotter’s status as a reportable offender, he was subjected to searches of his devices on request, and that was exactly what happened the day the photo was found.
Police attended Cotter’s Kawungan home on March 6, 2023, to examine his devices.
He was compliant and handed over his phone, the court heard.
Police examined it and discovered in the draft folder of his email application a draft email that had one photo attached to it that was classified as child abuse material.
The image depicted a female child aged 10 to 16, naked and engaged in a sexualised pose with the title “sexy Sienna”.
The details of the draft email indicated it was created back in 2021, the court heard.
It heard he had endured a difficult childhood, and struggled with mental health issues.
He had health issues including a cardiac condition, but had shown capacity to be a contributing member of the community, previously working as a bookkeeper, delivery driver, truck driver and various other roles.
Cotter’s defence barrister said the offence consisted of one photo which was comparatively low level offending.
Judge Michael Burnett sentenced Cotter to three years, three months and 15 days in prison and a single non-parole period of three months was fixed.
NIGEL PATRICK BRADY
A convicted child rapist with a history of stealing women’s underwear faced court for possessing child exploitation material and stalking.
Nigel Patrick Brady, 44, pleaded guilty to possessing child exploitation material, unlawful stalking, possessing dangerous drugs, trespassing and stealing in Maryborough District Court.
Representing himself after his lawyers withdrew, Brady spoke on his own behalf, sometimes through tears, as he was sentenced by Judge Vicki Loury.
The court heard Brady’s home was searched by police on June 14, 2023, during which his phone, laptop and a portable hard drive were seized.
An examination on each revealed the presence of child exploitation material.
After an analysis, a total of 240 images were found, many of them duplicates. There were 71 unique images and 27 videos, the court was told.
The photos largely showed pre-pubescent children with their genitalia exposed, but some showed children involved in sexual acts with adults, the court heard.
The unlawful stalking charge involved Brady following a woman around a supermarket, then to her car, then to another supermarket on April 29, 2023.
Because of his conduct the woman did not leave her home for weeks unless accompanied by another person, the court heard.
On June 7, 2023, he trespassed under a woman’s house and stole her underwear, then on June 14, 2023, when the search warrant was executed, he was found in possession of a water pipe and cannabis.
Brady told Judge Loury of his struggles on parole and how the loss of a job on a farm after a police visit had sent his life spiralling.
“I was in a dark place and I just started isolating myself,” he said.
Judge Vicki Loury said Brady needed to be supervised in the community and to achieve that she would put him on two years’ probation and a three-year suspended jail sentence, given he had already spent 10 months in jail.
“The suspended sentence is designed to reflect the seriousness of your offending and the probation order is designed to provide the necessary assistance you need to deal with your deviant sexual urges,” she said.
DANIEL PATRICK GALL
A former kitchen hand had more than 20,000 files containing sexually explicit images and videos of children as young as three years old.
Daniel Patrick Gall, 47, pleaded guilty in Bundaberg District Court to charges including accessing and possessing child exploitation and child abuse material.
Crown prosecutor Annica Fritz said that in April 2022, police identified Gall had been accessing online child exploitation material and searched his house later that day, seizing a number of devices containing child exploitation material, including Motorola Edge and Telstra smartphones, a desktop computer, external hard drive and tablets.
A total of 24,940 images and video files were contained across all devices, of which police analysed a selected sample due to the large quantity of files.
Their analysis identified 2688 images and 2799 videos containing child exploitation material, including a video of a child between three or four years old being penetrated by an adult male and many images and videos of children aged between six and 13 focusing on their genitalia or showing the children involved in sexual acts.
Ms Fritz told the court that within one week of his devices being seized, Gall remotely wiped the contents of one of his mobile phones which was in police custody, enabled by police having failed to turn it to aeroplane mode.
A subsequent police search of Gall’s house found another desktop computer on which Gall had accessed child exploitation material in May 2022, around six weeks after his house was first searched, following which he was arrested and remanded in custody.
Defence barrister Simone Bain told the court a psychological assessment of Gall reported he had denied being sexually attracted to children, and his offending was driven by “a desperate need to be accepted, wanted and … needed in a social sense”.
In sentencing, Judge John Allen KC told Gall he had “an addictive compulsion towards accessing and possessing child pornography”, and given his age “could have been under no misapprehension that real children had suffered terribly in the course of production” of the images and videos in his possession.
“These are not victimless offences, and your offending perpetuates a market for such images and the continued sexual abuse of innocent children who are forever damaged by such an experience,” Judge Allen said.
For offences including one count of using a carriage service to access child exploitation material, two counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, one count of possessing child exploitation material and one count of attempting to pervert justice, Gall was given a head sentence of five years in prison with immediate release on parole due to 492 days served in pre-sentence custody.
CHARLES MICHAEL SHIPTON
A carer, busted with almost 1000 child abuse images, was put on probation and given a four year suspended jail sentence after spending time in prison.
Glenwood’s Charles Michael Shipton, 46, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing child exploitation material when he faced Maryborough District Court.
His offending was discovered when police executed a raid at his home, uncovering almost 1000 child abuse images on two laptops and a mobile phone.
In addition, 40 child abuse videos were uncovered.
Of those images, 104 fell into the most serious category, while 888 were in a less serious category and 22 of the videos were in the most serious category.
Shipton admitted to police he had downloaded and saved the material for his own sexual gratification.
The court heard Shipton was ashamed and deeply remorseful for his offending.
Shipton was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended after four months for four years.
He was also sentenced to 12 months’ probation.
STEVEN DUFF
A single IP address was the spark which led to the arrest of a 28-year-old Gympie man caught in possession of about 3000 child exploitation pictures, some “graphic” in nature.
Steven Duff told police about his stash of images when they arrived at his caravan on August 12, 2021 and started to search.
They had received information about the IP address and followed it to Duff.
Gympie District Court heard the images were stored across seven devices including tablets and mobile phones.
They had been accessed online through Dropbox and Google accounts, as well as shared with other users on a social media chat.
The images included prepubescent children, some of which depicted graphic acts including rape.
Duff pleaded guilty to possessing child exploitation material, and distributing child exploitation material.
Judge Glen Cash said a pre-sentencing psychological report found Duff, who was on a Disability Support pension, found he was intellectually impaired and displayed pedophilic and paraphiliac behaviour.
Judge Cash told Duff the pictures were “terrible and fully abhorrent material”.
While his criminal record included burglary and entering premises crimes, this was the first time he had appeared in court on exploitation charges.
He sentenced Duff, who had spent the seven months since his August 2021 arrest behind bars, to two years probation, noting he had no history of similar offences on his record.
CAMERON JOSEPH MARTIN
A Bundaberg man caught grooming a 14-year-old girl by an undercover police operation was found to have sexually explicit videos involving girls as young as five years old.
Cameron Joseph Martin, 37, pleaded guilty in Bundaberg District Court to offences including possessing child exploitation material and grooming a child under the age of 16 years.
Crown prosecutor Jodie Tame told the court that on March 5, 2023 Martin responded to an advertisement posted on the classifieds website Locanto by Task Force Argos officers.
Purporting to be posted by an adult woman named Stacey, the advertisement said “mum and young daughter will be travelling up to Bondi and hope to have some fun”, the court heard.
In response, Martin sent a message to “Stacey” through the Locanto messenger saying “how old is your sexy daughter? I’d love to spend some time with a MILF and her sexy daughter”.
When “Stacey” said her daughter was 14 years old, Martin responded “14 is a great age” and sent sexually explicit messages along with four images showing a naked man with an erect penis.
Martin and “Stacey” exchanged phone numbers, with Martin continuing to send messages detailing the sexual acts he wanted to perform on her 14 year old daughter culminating in an arrangement to meet at a Bundaberg motel on March 25.
On that day at the arranged time, police observed Martin park his vehicle near the motel.
Officers intercepted him while he was still sitting in the vehicle.
When he became aware of the presence of police, Martin pushed his mobile phone against the steering wheel in an attempt to break it but was unsuccessful, the court heard.
Under questioning Martin admitted attempting to meet a child at the motel and to having child pornography on his phone.
Upon searching his phone police found an a child exploitation image and video, with the latter showing a prepubescent girl involved in sexual acts.
A search of Martin’s laptop at his home uncovered 22 child exploitation videos.
The offending involving the Task Force Argos sting occurred while Martin was on bail for previous possession of child exploitation material charges, involving 10 images police had found on his phone in April 2022 depicting girls under the age of 10 posing naked, one of whom was as young as five years old.
Judge John Allen ordered Martin serve a head sentence of three years and six months, with immediate eligibility for parole due to 374 days served in pre-sentence custody.
Martin was convicted of three counts of possession child exploitation material, three counts of failing to comply with reporting and one count of grooming a child under 16 years.
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