Cedar Vale’s Shane Tyrrell, 65, sentenced for possessing, distributing child abuse material

A Queensland former barrister who represented underworld killer Carl Williams has been sentenced for possessing and distributing child rape material. Specialist police busted him because of his feared bikie links, a court heard.

A man who once represented slain underworld killer Carl Williams had his shed door “smashed” in by specialist police after he had a “detailed discussion” with an undercover police woman to whom he sent child rape material.

Former police officer, decorated soldier and criminal defence barrister Shane Tyrrell, 65, told police he was “just titillated” by his “appalling”, “disgusting” behaviour Beenleigh District Court heard on Wednesday (June 22).

The now Cedar Vale company director was handed a suspended jail sentence and branded with a criminal conviction after he pleaded guilty to a charge each of distributing and possessing child exploitation material.

Shane Tyrrell pictured in his capacity as defence barrister for Carl Williams in the Matthew Johnson murder trial.

The court heard Tyrrell was 64 and living in a shed on January 24, 2021 when he responded to an online advertisement titled, “Likes Taboo Short – 37, single female, likes family”.

It was in fact an advertisement by a South Australia undercover police officer purporting to be a 37-year-old mother with two daughters aged six and 12.

The next day, on January 25, the undercover officer responded to Tyrrell and they had a “detailed discussion” on Kik and Snapchat, the court heard.

In order to prove it wasn’t a scam, Tyrrell first asked for and then voluntarily sent the officer an image of a child aged between nine and 13 being raped by a man.

Tyrrell asked the “mother” if she was into fantasy or “real” abuse, according to the prosecution.

Crown prosecutor Ayesha Black said Tyrrell told the “mother” that he had only spoken with one other woman with similar interests of “play” with children.

“The defendant stated there wasn’t anyone in the area that he could trust,” Ms Black said.

“He said most blokes who liked to chat about this are w*****s, and indicated that he may have engaged with others in the past.

“He said they didn’t have to be close to be ‘sharing stuff’.

“The defendant stated that he had only met one other woman who was into what they were into and stated it was great to find someone else.

“The defendant stated, ‘I love to watch boys and girls f*****g’.”

The court heard he further said that two young relatives, aged four and 10, who he described as “very inquisitive and quite deviant”, were due to visit him later that day and he would take images of them.

Ms Black acknowledged no such meeting with family occurred.

Tyrrell, the court was told, further discussed meeting with the purported mother in person.

On February 22, police officers, including SWAT members, smashed down Tyrrell’s shed door.

The court heard specialist police were used because of the defendant’s suspected bikie links, however no such links were referred to in his sentencing.

Officers uncovered the image of child rape Tyrrell had sent to the SA police officer in a folder titled “Sailing” on his laptop, the court heard.

Altogether four images and a 20-second slide show video were uncovered featuring adults sexually abusing children.

Defence barrister Joshua Jones said his client’s offending stemmed from a “maladaptive sexual proclivity”, stemming from sexual abuse he suffered as a teen when he was “sexualised” by two adult women.

According to the defence, Tyrrell had rather been trying to excite whom he thought was a mother due to his complex sexual abuse at the hands of “dominant” women.

“He does not have a sexual interest in children,” Mr Jones said.

“He found the images inadvertently titillating because it had some psychological relevance to him because of the abuse that he had suffered.”

The court heard Tyrrell had discussed meeting with the undercover cop. (AAP Image/Richard Walker)

The court heard Tyrrell had “served his community” as a police officer between the age of 17-19, was awarded the Sword of Honour and reached the rank of captain in the Australian Army and had practised as a criminal defence barrister for years from his thirties.

Mr Jones noted his client had no criminal history, had been married five times and suffered sexual dysfunction after recovering from what was expected to be terminal prostate cancer.

The defence urged that a criminal conviction not be handed down as it could affect their client’s directorship of a fledgling renewable energy company called Waste2NRG.

Multiple psychological reports and a doctor’s letter were tendered to the court on the defendant’s behalf.

They variously described him as posing a low risk of reoffending, acknowledged he had deep insight into his behaviour and as being of “superior intelligence”.

Tyrrell had further completed a sexual offender treatment program and was diagnosed with chronic depression.

Judge Craig Chowdhury said it was “extraordinary” that a man of such excellent achievement and relevant criminal defence expertise could engage in what was “appalling” and “disgusting” behaviour.

Mr Chowdhury further noted “titillated” means to be excited, but acknowledged that he did not expect Tyrrell to reoffend.

Owing to Tyrrell’s “exceptional circumstances” of past abuse, health issues, clean record and significant rehabilitation efforts, a sentence of actual imprisonment was set aside.

Tyrrell was sentenced to nine months’ prison wholly suspended for 12 months.

A conviction was recorded.