Coast child sex offender sentenced after he failed to report a sleepover with an 11yo girl

A 49-year-old child sex offender was acting sinisterly when he had a sleepover with an 11-year-old girl and bought a burner phone, a court has heard.

A 49-year-old child sex offender covered his face while leaving Noosa Magistrates Court on Tuesday. Picture: Laura Pettigrew.

A 49-year-old child sex offender was acting sinisterly when he had a sleepover with an 11-year-old girl and bought a burner phone, a court has heard.

The man, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, became a reportable child sex offender when he was convicted of grooming a child under the age of 16 in November 9, 2018.

Police prosecutor Alison Johnstone told Noosa Magistrates Court on Tuesday the man had been dating an 11-year-old girl’s mother for a year before he spent time with the girl while having a picnic at the Wappa Falls rockpool's between June 22, 2020 and July 17, 2020.

Sergeant Johnstone said the man also had a sleepover with the child on July 3, 2020 while on a camping trip with his girlfriend.

“(The man) … took the child and mother camping in an area north of Noosa, staying in a bush clearing with the child sleeping inside (his) vehicle,” she said.

The man also bought an extra phone that was active from June 26, 2020.

Sergeant Johnstone said the man breached his reporting conditions when he failed to inform police regarding the changes within 24 hours.

She said the man had previously been fined for breaching his reporting conditions and suggested a wholly suspended period of imprisonment.

Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist said the man’s behaviour, in having contact with the girl and buying what he described as a burner phone, was “sinister”.

Mr Stjernqvist said the man knew his conditions that were in place to protect children because he had been doing them for three years.

The man had also contravened a domestic violence order by seeing his girlfriend and was also found with 0.83g of marijuana and 0.19g of methamphetamine, a glass pipe and a knife on October 30, 2020.

Defence lawyer Laura Nightingale said the man’s then girlfriend had only just regained rights to see her daughter with the Department of Child Safety and became angry when he brought up his reporting commitments.

Ms Nightingale said the mother was concerned her time with her daughter could be jeopardised if he reported his contact with police.

She said the man had a lengthy history of drug offending that started after his dysfunctional childhood, where he saw his mother try to commit suicide multiple times.

Ms Nightingale said he had also had a recent diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder that could have contributed to him not reporting his new extra phone.

She said the man would benefit from supervision in the community that would help him address his drug use and continue seeing a psychologist.

She asked for the man to be immediately released on parole.

Mr Stjernqvist sentenced the man to a six-month prison sentence that was suspended for 18 months after he failed to report contact with an 11-year-old girl and an extra phone to police.

He was also placed on probation for 18 months.