Jimboomba man Cameron Torda Lovett, 42, given suspended jail term for child exploitation material

A kindergarten worker found with hundreds of child exploitation videos and images claimed he was investigating it for years to report to police, a court has heard.

An early childhood worker found with nearly 80 child rape videos and hundreds of exploitation images and videos has walked free from court, partly because of his poor health.

Jimboomba’s Cameron Torda Lovett, 42, moved tentatively to the dock with the help of a cane at his Beenleigh District Court appearance today (September 17).

Supported by his mother, Lovett pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child exploitation material.

The court heard the former early childcare worker co-operated with police when a search of his Jimboomba home last year uncovered the material.

Officers found 271 videos, 78 of which were of girls aged 13 years or younger being vaginally and anally raped by adults.

The court accepted 78 videos were classified as category 1 on the Interpol Baseline Scale (IBS), regarded as the most serious type of child exploitation material.

Another 193 of the videos were category 2 and there were 486 still images stored on five devices.

Stephanie Francis, for the Crown, said Lovett claimed he had viewed the material for years.

She said he swapped it between devices in order to see if he could recognise anyone to report to police.

Former childcare worker Cameron Torda Lovett, 42, leaves Beenleigh District Court a free man.

The court heard no such report to authorities had been received.

Ms Francis said his explanation showed his low regard for the seriousness of the offences.

She asked he be jailed for 15-18 months, noting that courts did not have to view actual imprisonment as a last resort even if a defendant had no criminal history.

Lovett’s barrister, Michael Bonasia, said his client had worked in childcare for most of his career since leaving school in Year 11.

He had co-operated fully with authorities, from the start.

Mr Bonasia said Lovett had provided passwords to all his devices and even returned an extra USB drive not collected during the search.

The defence described him as a “motivated” man who had since gained a Certificate 3 in information technology and logistics, but had yet to find employment.

The court heard the defendant had no criminal history and suffered a host of chronic health conditions including back pain and diabetes.

He also had trouble balancing due to a past stroke.

His health would make a term of actual imprisonment challenging and argued it amounted to exceptional circumstances.

Mr Bonasia said that if Lovett was spared jail he would act as a carer for his ailing father in Warwick.

Judge Geraldine Dann told Lovett children were harmed with each viewing of such material.

Ms Dann accepted that he had strong support from his parents, suffered serious health conditions and had not reoffended since being granted bail.

On the basis of those “exceptional circumstances”, she sentenced him to 15 months’ jail, suspended for two years.

Convictions were recorded.