Brendan Ashley Thomas: Warwick serial predator jailed over 48 vile child sex crimes

A Warwick man who pleaded guilty to almost 50 vile child sex crimes, including grooming his victims into perverted online exchanges and unprotected sex, was busted after sending nudes to an undercover cop posing as a 13yo girl.

A Warwick serial predator who used social media to groom three teenage girls into sending nude photos and dozens of perverted sexual acts has been jailed for almost 50 child sex offences.

Brendan Ashley Thomas targeted three girls aged 14 and 15 between July, 2018 and January, 2020, maintaining contact with one of the victims for about 18 months while he was aged 22 to 24.

Warwick District Court heard the now 25-year-old sent about 150 messages asking his first victim for nude photos or to video chat with him naked, and almost 20 more with sexual images and videos of himself or others.

Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Kelso read text messages from Thomas to the court, which discussed “rooting” or “finger banging” and pushing the girl to do these acts with him in public places.

She said the Warwick man also asked the teenager to urinate on him and on one occasion to get a friend to join them for sex.

“Their (encounters) clearly involved acts of sexual intercourse, and he made it clear to her that she could not tell anyone as they would get in trouble,” Ms Kelso said.

Fearful at one point that the girl would turn him in, Thomas threatened to “go to the cops about (her) smoking weed” and their sexual exchanges shortly resumed.

The Warwick man briefly engaged in sexual conversations with his second victim, once saying “We all have a Facebook friend we want to do naughty things with”.

Ms Kelso said Thomas told his third victim he was 18 and had unprotected sex with the 15-year-old girl after claiming he was allergic to condoms.

“On multiple occasions (he) recognised the wrongness of his engaging in sexual conduct with children,” she said.

Brendan Ashley Thomas, 25, pleaded guilty to 48 child sex offences in Warwick District Court. Picture: Facebook

“He told one in referring to her age that ‘it didn’t feel right’, and he told her she couldn’t tell anyone they had sex because ‘she was still too young and didn’t want to get anyone in trouble, that’s all’.”

Ms Kelso told the court Thomas’ offending finally came to light when he was caught out by a police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl online in a search for child sex offenders.

Thomas sent the officer “three pictures of his erect penis” and then asked for nude photos in return and to video chat, Ms Kelso said.

The Warwick man was granted bail after his initial arrest, but ended up spending 56 days in custody after he was caught contacting one of his victims in breach of his bail conditions.

Defence barrister Jessica Goldie described Thomas’ time behind bars as “quite sad”, as he witnessed another inmate’s suicide and spent most of his time in isolation after other prisoners pinned him down and cut his wrists.

Ms Goldie said her client had an intellectual disability, ADHD, and a full-scale IQ of 60, which left him with a “grossly immature” level of social and communication skills that meant he likely felt closer to his teenage victims than adults his own age.

Thomas’ parents and brother watched on from the back of the courtroom, with his mother breaking down in tears as his sentence was read out.

Judge Suzanne Sheridan sentenced the Warwick man to five years in jail with eligibility for release under a suspended sentence after 12 months.

“By your offending, you stole these young girls of their innocence; you corrupted and exploited them,” Judge Sheridan said.

Thomas pleaded guilty to 32 counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16, six counts of grooming a child under 16, and five counts of using electronic communication to procure a child under 16.

He also pleaded guilty to one count each of carnal knowledge of a child under 16, maintaining a sexual relationship with a child under 16, distributing child exploitation material, possessing child exploitation material, and making threats.

Thomas will also be subject to a three-year probation upon his release.