Richard Brian Campbell has pleaded guilty to committing a breach of his reporting conditions

A man who exposed himself to children in 2015 has appeared back in court this week

Richard Brian Campbell has again pleaded guilty to failing to comply with his reporting conditions. It was his third breach. Picture: file, NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

A SERIAL flasher who exposed his penis to children in a Gatton playground was brought back before Ipswich District Court for breaching his reporting conditions.

The court heard Richard Brian Campbell, 53, failed to report his use of social media as legally obliged to The Child Protection Offenders Registry.

The convicted offender has a lengthy history, with more than 20 incidents of similar offensive public exposure on his record going back to 1991.

Campbell this week pleaded guilty to having committed breaches of his reporting obligations to the registry in November 2020.

For the Gatton indecent act offences, Campbell was sentenced in March 2018 by Ipswich District Court to 15 months jail, suspended for three years after he served seven months.

He was then subject to two years of supervised probation.

Crown prosecutor Victoria Adams said it would be unjust to order him to serve the entirety of the suspended sentence given the less serious nature of the breaches.

Richard Brian Campbell has pleaded guilty to failing to comply with his reporting conditions.Picture: File, NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

 

Defence barrister Scott Neaves said it was low-level offending by Campbell, who is now a disability pensioner.

He explained that the breach related to Campbell using the Messenger app.

"He told authorities he had Facebook and assumed that it (Messenger) was the same," Mr Neaves said.

"He advised them that he had removed Tinder. He then got it back and did not advise them.

"He and a mate were mucking about and downloaded it. He ought to have brought it to the attention of the registry but didn't."

Judge Dennis Lynch QC said Campbell had been in this position twice before.

Campbell went before Brisbane Magistrates Court in 2020 on charges of failing to report his use of social networking accounts.

The charges related to his profiles on dating sites Tinder and Plenty of Fish, and Facebook's Instant Messenger app in April and May 2020.

He received three, one-month concurrent jail orders - all suspended.

"Reporting obligations are serious. The first time you got one month wholly suspended. If you fail again it will get harder," Judge Lynch said.

Judge Lynch said Campbell had come a long way since the Gatton offences in 2015.

He said the breach related to a suspended jail sentence imposed by Ipswich District Court on March 26, 2018 where he was found guilty of exposing himself and masturbating in front of children and an adult.

He convicted and sentenced Campbell to the rising of the court.

Originally published as Richard Brian Campbell has pleaded guilty to committing a breach of his reporting conditions