Kingaroy man found guilty of grooming a 14-year-old girl back in court

A 27-year-old man sentenced last year for grooming a 14-year-old girl and attempting to obtain child pornography has found himself in front of a judge yet again.

A Kingaroy man previously sentenced for grooming a 14-year-old girl found himself back before the district court for breaching his recognisance order.

Jon Faulkner, 27, pleaded guilty to breaching the order, which was handed down on August 19 last year in relation to two commonwealth offences committed in 2019.

Reading from the sentencing statements, Judge Glen Cash QC said the sentence imposed upon Faulkner related to him using “telephone services or internet services to groom a child and to solicit child pornography material”.

“Those are pretty serious offences, as you would understand from the sentences that were imposed by Judge Kefford on that occasion last year,” Judge Cash said.

Handing down her sentence at the Kingaroy District Court last year, Judge Nicole Kefford said the communications between Faulkner and the defendant lasted just over three weeks in 2019.

“They were intended by you to make it easier to procure the child to engage in sexual activity with you,” she said back in August.

“You persisted in your communications even after the child confirmed that she was just 14 years of age when you had initially perhaps thought that she was older than that, having met her.”

The August district court sitting heard the offending ceased when the complainant’s mother found the messages on her daughters phone and reported Faulkner to the police, resulting in a search warrant being conducted at his home.

The second commonwealth charge handed at the August sitting related to Faulkner requesting a photograph of the child in a sexual pose.

Faulkner was originally convicted and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in relation to charge one and convicted and sentenced to nine months imprisonment in relation to charge two, however was ordered to be released immediately once signing a recognisance requiring him to be of good behaviour for a period of 18 months.

Jon Faulkner, Kingaroy District Court. Photo/Dominic Elsome.

Since that sentence was imposed, Faulkner breached the recognisance order on multiple occasions, finding himself back in Kingaroy Magistrates Court on January 18 for possessing dangerous drugs, failing to dispose of a syringe, possessing drug utensils, the dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, contravening a police requirement and possessing anything used in commission of a crime as defined in part 2.

The breach was filed on February 22 and Faulkner was recommitted to the district court.

The defendant was represented by Robert Glenday.

“He's doing quite well on the probation order. It’s quite a positive report,” Mr Glenday said.

“And he’s taking steps to attend and complete programs and appointments as directed.

“He understands he’s had a long term drug history and drug problem, and he’s been making some inquiries himself to attend a rehabilitation centre.”

Judge Glen Cash extended Faulkner’s existing good behaviour period by 18 months, which will now take him through to August 2023.

“You haven‘t complied with all of the conditions of the order that Judge Kefford made,” Judge Cash said.

“In particular, you’ve committed some further offences which plainly mean that you have, without reasonable cause or excuse, failed to be of good behaviour which is one of the conditions, and in a sense, perhaps the most important condition.”