Ewen Addison pleads guilty to sex offences against five children in ‘brazen’ offending spree

A registered sex offender who had abused children in Canada has admitted to sexually abusing five children across Melbourne’s bayside suburbs.

A salesman has admitted to sexually abusing five children across Melbourne’s bayside suburbs, including by forcing them to watch pornography and use sex toys he stashed in a “toolbox”. 

Ewen Addison, 49, also known as James Addison, fronted the County Court on Wednesday with his wife where he pleaded guilty to almost a dozen sex offences.

Prosecutor Fiona Martin described to the court his “brazen” offending, spanning three years from 2008 to 2011 at locations including Chelsea, Edithvale, Sorrento and Mt Hotham.

The court heard the sex fiend, who was in his 30s at the time, “breached” the trust of the five children he came to know. 

But unbeknown to his victims or their families, he was a registered sex offender who had abused two children in Canada years earlier in 2003. 

Ewen Addison with his lawyer Kate Ballard before he was taken into custody. Picture: Laura Placella

Ms Martin told the court during both a ski trip to Mt Hotham and a trip to Sorrento in 2008, Addison showed a male teen pornography and, on one occasion, masturbated in front of him.

The court heard another male teen was shown pornography at Sorrento the following year.

Between 2008 and 2009, Addison also touched the genitalia of a girl under the age of 12 in the bedroom of an Edithvale home and placed her hand on his penis.

He preyed on the same girl again at Sorrento, touching her indecently.

The court heard Addison also touched the genitalia of another girl under the age of 12 at a Chelsea home while they were watching Jurassic Park.

Between 2009 and 2010, Addison showed another male teen pornography on five occasions and masturbated in front of him on four occasions in homes at Sorrento, Edithvale and Chelsea.

“They were watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD and after three to four episodes the accused put on a pornographic movie,” Ms Martin said of one occasion.

“He put his red toolbox with the sex toys on the floor between them.”

The offending took place across multiple locations including Sorrento. Picture: Supplied

Addison encouraged the teen to masturbate in front of him on three occasions during 2010, including with a sex toy, and also indecently assaulted him in early 2011.

Ms Martin said the toolbox was shown to all three male victims on multiple occasions, with one of them alleging they were at times watched by Addison as they used the toys.

From early 2019, the children – now adults – revealed to their loved ones they had been abused and made statements to police.

Addison, from Doreen, pleaded guilty to nine counts of indecent act with a child under 16, one count of procuring a child under 16 years for an indecent act and one count of indecent assault. 

Ms Martin said two of the complainants had penned victim impact statements, which spoke of the “devastating impact” the offending had on them. 

“There is no evidence of genuine remorse,” she said of the accused.

He offended against one child during a ski trip to Mt Hotham. Picture: Supplied

His defence barrister Kate Ballard said her client, who was raised in a “supportive” family, had been diagnosed with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.

Dressed in a suit with a light blue tie, he was supported in court by his wife, who called him a “loving father” to their two children in her character reference.

But Judge Elizabeth Gaynor said his two prior convictions in Canada – which saw him jailed for seven months and registered as a sex offender – contributed to his moral culpability.

“Unfortunately, your client continued to offend in that way after having been subjected to both jail and probation in relation to offending against children,” she said.

Ms Ballard told the court her client had not offended in the 14 years since, but Judge Gaynor asked how the offending “came to occur” in the first place.

“He can’t offer up a comprehensive or … satisfactory explanation for this serious misconduct,” Ms Ballard replied.

“In his mind, it is something from another time, another phase in his life.”

Addison will be sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Picture: Laura Placella

The sales consultant was sacked from his job after he was charged by police in September 2022. He was bailed in November after serving 55 days behind bars.

According to court documents, he tried – and failed – in 2023 to prevent his name and details of his offending from being published by the media.

Addison, who will be sentenced to a term of imprisonment, embraced his wife from the dock and choked back tears as he was remanded in custody.

His registration as a sex offender in Canada expired five years ago, but he will be re-registered as a sex offender for life following his guilty plea.

He will be sentenced at a later date after the return of a psychiatric report. 

Originally published as Ewen Addison pleads guilty to sex offences against five children in ‘brazen’ offending spree