Todd Andrew Szymanski pleads guilty to possessing child abuse images

A Northern Beaches man busted with dozens of disgusting child abuse images has been slammed by a judge as the gruesome details of the content found in his possession were exposed. WARNING: Distressing content

A former meth addict busted with disgusting child abuse images depicting actual sex acts involving a baby and young children will not have to spend any more time in jail for his crimes.

Mackay man Todd Andrew Szymanski had 28 horrific child exploitation images stashed on his phone that were uncovered on June 18, 2020 at Blacks Beach.

“One image is bad enough because what you were downloading was the torture and abuse of young children, creating a market for it and keeping it on your phone,” Judge Deborah Richards told him.

Mackay District Court heard shocking details of what some of the images depicted.

They included a sex act between a man and a baby, a man having sex with a toddler “between two and four years of age” and a bestiality image involving a girl aged 12 or 13.

“Images such as young children being whipped, a child being tied and gagged … another child tied with rope around her arms and legs … she was under 10 years of age,” Judge Richards said.

“They’re disgusting.

“You created trade for them and it’s physical abuse of young children.”

Judge Richard said the small number of images was not as important as the fact they were very serious images, but she accepted they were among thousands of legal adult pornography images and material also found on the phone.

“He denied having a sexual interest in children,” defence barrister Scott McLennan told the court.

“By his pleas he acknowledges that this material was on his phone.”

Mr McLennan told the court his client had been on remand for 214 days and “in protective custody the whole time”.

Szymanski pleaded guilty to possessing child exploitation material.

Mr McLennan pushed for a 15-month suspended sentence, but Judge Richards said he was “incapable of complying with any court order, even bail”.

“That’s why he should be on a suspended sentence, there’s no court orders then,” Mr McLennan submitted, arguing that given the time already served a parole eligibility date would make any penalty “excessive”.

The court heard Szymanski still had to be sentenced in another court for breaching an intensive corrections order.

Judge Richards accepted Szymanski was not “necessarily excited by the child images” and said his criminal history suggested issues with drugs.

The court heard he no longer used meth.

“You need to deal with your mental health problems or you’re just going to turn back to drugs,” Judge Richards said.

Szymanski was jailed for 18 months, suspended after the 214 days he had already served in jail on remand. A conviction was recorded.