Coffs Harbour man sentenced in Gympie on child exploitation charges

An autistic boy, aged under six, was violated so content captured by an aspiring teacher could be traded with online predators. Now, the culprit has been sentenced after this crime and a string of other sick secrets was uncovered.

An aspiring teacher will spend the next eight months in jail for sexual crimes including taking explicit pictures of a young autistic child and trading the sick content with similarly minded predators online.

The Coffs Harbour man, aged in his 30s, who cannot legally be named to protect the identity of his young victim, pleaded guilty in Gympie District Court to seven charges stemming from crimes committed over a three-year period from 2017 to 2020.

These included four counts of indecent treatment of a child under the age of 12 and in the man’s care, and charges of possessing child exploitation material, making child exploitation material, and distributing child exploitation material.

Police found more than 1100 images and 200 videos of the material across various electronic devices including the man’s phone.

The material included an image of a child as young as two months being violated.

Along with possessing the material, the man had created his own involving the autistic child of his then partner.

A 39-year-old man has been jailed for eight months after being caught with child exploitation material, including images he made with the young autistic child of his then partner. He is pictured being led out of the court by a police officer.

The victim was aged between three years and six years at the time.

The youth had been photographed multiple times for subject matter too distressing to publish.

One of the photos of the young victim had been “traded” online by the man.

Defence barrister Amelia Loode told the court her client had moved from New South Wales to Gympie with his then partner and the victim in 2015.

Ms Loode said the man apologised and accepted “the result of his own actions”.

“He wasn’t the father he should have been to the complainant,” Ms Loode said.

Judge Ian Dearden said he was “nauseous” to read the crimes to himself, let alone aloud for the court.

Mr Dearden noted the man was supported in court by his parents “despite everything”, and that he had a bachelor of education.

“Obviously that’s not going to be a career path for you given the offending,” Mr Dearden said.

The man was jailed for eight months. He will then be released on probation for three years.