Kayden James Cockerell: Man caught with child abuse files walks free from Warwick court

A man who viewed dozens of vile child abuse files of girls as young as six only hours before targeting his real-life victim in a shopping centre later told police he ‘saw demons’.

A Southern Downs man who took photos of a little girl under a door in a public toilet and was busted with child abuse material the same day has walked free from court.

A 10-year-old girl and her mother entered the women’s bathroom at Stanthorpe Plaza on July 2, 2020, unaware Kayden James Cockerell was hiding in the cubicle beside the little girl’s.

Warwick District Court heard the now 28-year-old slid his phone underneath the door and took photos of the girl, who ran outside and waited with her mother until they could notify the manager of a nearby store.

A group of people followed Cockerell out of the shopping centre while they waited for police, and the Stanthorpe man ended up locking himself in another public toilet where he was eventually caught and arrested.

He suggested to officers that he was the victim and was followed by strangers for no reason, and was later transferred to Stanthorpe Hospital after telling police he had paranoid schizophrenia and “saw demons”.

Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Kelso said police found “a blurry image consistent with being of someone’s skin” on Cockerell’s phone, with a search of his phone later revealing he’d searched the internet for ‘young nudism’ earlier that day.

The court was told Cockerell had 16 internet tabs open showing nude pictures and animated images of girls as young as six.

Kayden James Cockerell, 28, has walked free from court despite pleading guilty to taking photos of a 10yo girl under a toilet door and viewing more than a dozen child abuse files. Picture: Facebook

“A number of the titles make clear it was a search specifically designed to obtain child abuse material. It’s not a situation where he was searching for adult pornography and stumbled across some other type of materials,” Ms Kelso said.

A further search of Cockerell’s phone uncovered texts stating he’d supplied a friend with marijuana on three occasions and 0.2g methamphetamines on a fourth in the fortnight leading up to the more serious crimes.

Ms Kelso read parts of the 10-year-old girl’s victim impact statement to the Warwick court, detailing how the “incredibly confronting situation” left her needing extra reassurance from her parents just to go out in public.

Cockerell was supported in the courtroom by his two sisters, and his mother was one of several people who wrote character references submitted to the court.

Defence barrister Jessica Goldie told the court her client’s mental health issues were compounded by an addiction to both meth and marijuana, which started when he was introduced to the drugs at 17.

Ms Goldie said Cockerell spent months at a time in various mental health wards to address his concerns, and had managed to stay clean from drugs for about a year with the support of his mother and sister.

“It was a cumulation of not taking his prescribed medication as well as being subject to dangerous drugs at the time of these offences. He’s a completely different person when he is taking those,” she said.

Cockerell pleaded guilty to four counts of supplying dangerous drugs and one count each of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, breaching privacy, and of possessing an item used in a supply.

He was sentenced to 15 months in jail with immediate release on a three-year good behaviour bond.

Cockerell will also placed on probation for three years.