Mackay region man jailed for six years for corrupting eight victim children

A ‘callous and reckless’ man corrupted eight child victims including his young sister for his own sexual gratification. Warning: Distressing content

A young Mackay region man pleaded guilty to a raft of charges maintaining a sexual relationship with a child, possessing and producing children exploitation material and child grooming committed between December 2019 and February 2022.

A “depraved” Mackay region man who “corrupted young girls” for his own pleasure has been jailed for six years.

His vile conduct involving eight victim children was detailed in court and paints “a rather disturbing picture”.

The 23 year old had what he labelled a “spank bank” of child sex abuse images, of girls aged five to 15, he used for his “own sexual gratification”.

He groomed a 12-year-old Sunshine Coast girl via Snapchat over six months, sending her explicit videos and photos and threatening to rape her with three mates if she did not send him naked images.

Mackay District Court heard on the back of this threat, he forced her to send vulgar photos and videos, some that included her pet dog.

He used his iPad to video chat with children and recorded himself during these conversations performing a lewd act.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, took sexualised photos of his 14-year-old sister while she was in the shower or getting changed.

And when he was 20 he began a two-year sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl, which involved elements of BDSM – it was accepted this was consensual.

The man pleaded guilty to a raft of charges maintaining a sexual relationship with a child, possessing and producing children exploitation material and child grooming committed between December 2019 and February 2022.

“He has had a fairly callous and reckless disregard for the harm he’s done in corrupting and degrading young females that he’s had personal connection with,” Crown prosecutor Katrina Overall said.

“As well as supporting the market in producing children exploitation material by collecting images of children unknown to him.”

Police raided his Mackay region home in early 2022 seizing a number of items including his computer, external hard drive and iPad on which officers uncovered 125 child exploitation images.

The court heard he also had 21 images of his underage former girlfriend – he told police he was in love with her.

“He minimised his sexual contact with her saying it was just cuddles and kisses … and then he blamed her for making the relationship sexual saying ‘he was a virgin boy and she made the moves on him’,” Ms Overall said, adding his overall conduct was disgraceful and he had shown a lack of insight.

The court heard he even said he was not “going to do 14 years for something (he) didn’t deserve”.

The man pleaded guilty to a raft of charges maintaining a sexual relationship with a child, possessing and producing children exploitation material and child grooming committed between December 2019 and February 2022.

“You have a concerning sexual interest in children and … you engaged in depraved conduct which had the tendency to corrupt young girls,” Judge Vicki Loury said, labelling him a “danger to the community, particularly young girls”.

Barrister Paul Rutledge, instructed by Barron and Allen Lawyers, said there was “no excuse” for his client’s conduct but highlighted he entered an early guilty plea, was young at the time (22), was still young and had no criminal history.

“He’s already trying to rehabilitate himself,” Mr Rutledge said, adding he was “taking up religion big time”.

“He’s going to church in jail. He’s seeing chaplains when they visit. He’s in the program with an ex prisoner.”

Mr Rutledge said his client was doing “hard time” in jail – he had been assaulted at Capricornia and was now in protective custody in Arthur Gorrie.

“He’s a rock spider as far as they’re concerned and they’re going to get him,” Mr Rutledge said.

Judge Loury said she had “real concerns about the deviancy” – his comments to the young girls were “utterly disgusting and designed to corrupt them”.

He was jailed for six years, with parole eligibility on March 10, 2024 after serving two years.

Convictions were recorded and the 355 days on remand was declared time already served.