Drug addict Mark James Plant, 58, in court for drug and child exploitation charges
A “creepy” drug addict found with videos of a young child on his phone was also found in possession of women’s and children’s underwear, and supplied drugs for oral sex. Read more here.
Police & Courts
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A “creepy” drug addict found with videos of a child on his phone was also found in possession of women’s and children’s underwear, telling police he had a fetish and he purchased them online.
Mark James Plant, 58, was raided by police in relation to drugs when the sexual offending was detected.
Plant pleaded guilty on November 10 in Rockhampton District Court to five counts of supplying drugs, two of making child exploitation material, one of possessing child exploitation material, one of possessing drugs, one of possessing used drug utensils and one of possessing anything used in the commission of a crime.
Crown prosecutor Maryam Yousufzai said police raided Plant’s residence on November 20, 2021, seizing his mobile phone where the five street-level supplies of marijuana with payment for two of those being by way of oral sex.
Ms Yousufzai said the search warrant for drugs uncovered the child exploitation material and police located women’s and children’s underwear in Plant’s home.
She said Plant told police he purchased the underwear online because he had a fetish.
Ms Yousufzai said Plant filmed the child exploitation material himself with three videos, including multiple showing the child with her breasts exposed.
She said there were 28 photographs on his phone which were screenshots of the videos.
Defence barrister Julie Marsden said Plant had since relocated to look after his ailing 87-year-old mother.
She said he had a normal childhood and his father died about 20 years ago from cancer.
Ms Marsden said Plant had two children – one who was 39 and lived in Bundaberg and a 21-year-old who lived in Melbourne.
She said he had worked in a plumbing shop for five years, a building company for 10 years and at a council for 15 years after leaving school at the end of Year 10.
Ms Marsden said her client had attempted to get counselling through Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Services, having attended one or two sessions, but ceased going after discovering his usual counsellor was not available.
Judge Catherine Muir raised concerns about Plant’s lack of accessing rehabilitation for the sexual offences, which was “concerning behaviour” and “a serious invasion of privacy” with “no explanation” as to why he did it.
Ms Marsden said Plant told her he was “mortified at his own behaviour” and couldn’t explain it.
Judge Muir said this was “creepy and disturbing behaviour”.
Plant had a three-page criminal record with 18 drug-type convictions including 12-months probation in June 2019 for producing drugs – two marijuana plants 40cm and 15cm tall and possessing 47.9 grams of marijuana.
Judge Muir sentenced him to nine-months prison to serve two months with a three-year operational period.
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