Cal William Meehan, Gailes, faces Ipswich Court for child porn collection

A man, busted in a public arrest, told a Southeast Queensland court he only started looking at child abuse material because he was on meth and struggling with a personal problem.

Gailes resident Cal William Meehan, 38, outside Ipswich Court on February 19, 2024. Picture: Nicola McNamara

An Ipswich man has faced sentence today for his sick child porn stash of more than 2000 images, which a court heard he started amassing while on meth and experiencing erectile dysfunction.

Gailes resident Cal William Meehan, 38, pleaded guilty on February 19 to using a carriage service to access child exploitation material and possessing child abuse material that was obtained or accessed using a carriage service.

He also pleaded guilty to driving an unregistered vehicle and two counts of possessing a category H weapon (butterfly knives).

The Ipswich District Court heard Australian Federal Police had searched Meehan’s home on January 28, 2021.

They found a total of 2472 incriminating images and videos across eight devices.

The court heard almost 99 per cent of the material involved children above the age of 13, while the remaining one per cent was under 13.

Commonwealth prosecutor Sam Hill said police identified search terms used on Meehan’s iPad such as “pre-teenagers” and “pre-teen”.

He said Meehan’s mother was the only one home at the time of the search, so police apprehended Meehan at his workplace.

Meehan’s mother was not accused of any wrongdoing.

The court heard Meehan had been working as a removalist at the time, but lost his job as a result of the public arrest.

He had since gained work driving transport vehicles for installation products.

Judge Dennis Lynch noted Meehan had also been subjected to violence and threats in backlash for the charges.

Mr Hill said Meehan admitted to police at the time that he had browsed child abuse material while he was under the influence of methamphetamine.

“He said he was disgusted at the thought of child abuse material when he was sober,” Mr Hill said.

Defence barrister Chris Minnery said his client had started using meth after the traumatic death of his father in a workplace accident.

He said Meehan had been addicted to meth for 20 years, and had been using 1.5g a day at the worst stage.

Mr Minnery said Meehan had only ever accessed or looked at child pornography while under the influence of meth.

He noted his client had also struggled with depression and erectile dysfunction, which he said had led Meehan to “expand the type of pornography that he was using into more fringe areas”.

Judge Lynch noted a psychologist’s report concluded Meehan posed a low risk of reoffending.

That report had suggested his offending was more likely a coping mechanism than it was the result of an obvious sexual attraction to children.

Judge Lynch said Meehan had a limited criminal history, expressed remorse for his offending, and had taken steps towards rehabilitation in the mental health space.

He sentenced Meehan to 18 months jail, with immediate release under a $1000 good behaviour recognisance which will hang over his head for two years.

Meehan was further sentenced to two years probation.