Logan man George Halfar, 71, in court for allegedly sharing 3000 child abuse, porn files

A 71-year-old Logan man has faced court for allegedly accessing and sharing 3000 child pornography and abuse files. In a bizarre twist, he claimed police had got their numbers wrong.

George Halfar outside Beenleigh District Court

A Logan man facing court for a string of charges after allegedly sharing 3000 child abuse and porn files denies he shared so many images.

Beenleigh’s George Halfar, 71, who appeared in Beenleigh District Court on Wednesday (January 25), admitted he shared files but said there were only 147.

After a prosecutor said Mr Halfar would contest the facts on several charges, the matter was adjourned to next month.

Mr Halfar was charged with one count of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service and one count of using a carriage service to access child pornography material.

He also was charged with one count of using a carriage service to transmit, make available, publish, distribute, advertise or promote child pornography material.

The court also heard he faced one count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material and a charge of using a carriage service to transmit, makes available, publish, distribute, advertise or promote child abuse material.

Mr Halfar case had previously been adjourned so that he could make his own submissions to police prosecution.

“As I understand, on the last occasion it was adjourned so that Mr Halfar Could send in to prosecutions his objections to the statement of facts and evidence for his objections,” Commonwealth Prosecutor Daniel Trigger said.

He said Mr Helfar was contesting the facts of two of the charges concerning making material available.

“On the basis of what the defendant has put before me, there will be a form of contested sentence hearing in relations to counts two and four which concerns making available the material, particularly as to the quantum of the material,’’ Mr Trigger said.

“(This) would include evidence for the operation of the relative software given by police, together with perhaps some short legal permission.

“My submission is that the matter should be listed for a contested sentence with evidence to be given from two police officers in relation to the making available count.”

Mr Helfar said the number of child pornography and abuse files he allegedly shared was not correct.

“Yes I am disputing the number of files I was apparently sharing with people on the internet, which is not correct, definitely not correct,” Mr Halfar said.

“There’s a big difference on what I am saying, which is 147, and the 3000 that they are saying, which is absolutely ridiculous.

“I will somehow convince the police that I am right and they are not right.”

Judge Craig Chowdhury said Mr Halfar was not disputing that he had shared the content.

“So there’s no dispute that you shared exploitation material, just about the amount,’’ he said.

Mr Halfar will appear in Beenleigh District court for a contested sentence on March 16 this year.