Lloyd Hamilton Hughes failed to report to police while on bail for allegedly possessing child abuse material

A Coast man who allegedly possessed child pornography forgot to report to police after his routine was disrupted due to lockdown, a court heard.

A Meridan Plains man who was allegedly caught with child abuse images on his phone and laptop forgot to report to police during lockdown because he was out of his routine, a court heard.

The Brisbane Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team raided the home of Lloyd Hamilton Hughes, 38, on February 11 after investigators received information from the United States National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

He was later charged with two counts of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained using a carriage service and one count of using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material.

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions allege a person suspected to be in Queensland was uploading child abuse material to Google accounts which were then connected to Mr Hughes.

Police allegedly seized devices from Mr Hughes’ home containing child abuse material.

Part of Mr Hughes’ bail conditions included he report twice a week to Kawana Police Station.

He faced Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Friday, July 23 and pleaded guilty to breaching his bail condition after he failed to report to police on July 1.

Mr Hughes’ defence lawyer, Chelsea Emery, said her client had simply been out of his routine because of a Covid-19 lockdown at the time.

“He had a routine in place where he would get on a bus from his residence, start work at 11am at a restaurant at Kawana Water shopping Centre,” Ms Emery said.

“He’d get off the bus at Kawana Police Station, get back on the bus and go to work but on this day because of lockdown, the restaurant was closed so the routine wasn’t in place and he completely forgot.”

The court heard Mr Hughes remembered on the evening of July 1 that he’d forgotten to go to the police station and attended the next day.

Magistrate Christopher Callaghan accepted Mr Hughes’ guilty plea and dismissed him of the charge.

Mr Hughes will next appear before Maroochydore Magistrates Court on September 24 for further mention of the Commonwealth charges.