Alexandra Hills’ William Maurice Coutts, 38, locked up for three months for breaching strict conditions

A court has heard a serial child exploitation material offender gave himself up to 20 tattoos and used an unreported email address despite strict reporting conditions.

A man with a ‘recidivist’ history in child exploitation material offending slumped to his knees in the dock after what a court heard were blatant breaches of his strict reporting duties.

Appearing at Cleveland Magistrates Court today (October 6) Alexandra Hills man William Maurice Coutts, 38, became overwhelmed when he realised he would spend the next three months behind bars.

It came after the defendant pleaded guilty to twice failing to comply with reporting duties under a child protection offender reporting and offender prohibition order.

The court heard on December 19 last year Coutts breached these duties when he failed to report a new email address titled jackcount7@gmail.

And on March 18 he failed to report “17 – 20 new tattoos” he had mostly administered to himself over a three-month period.

According to police prosecutor Sergeant Angela Tetley both incidents were serious breaches, given the man’s significant relevant history.

When police asked him why he had made such obvious breaches Coutts remarked that “he just does not care anymore”.

“The community is sick of his behaviour,” Sgt Tetley said.

“He has been given every opportunity to remain in the community.

“These obligations are in place for good reason; something like an unreported tattoo is a serious breach because it changes his appearance.”

Coutts will spend the next three months locked up after breaching his reporting duties. Picture: Facebook.

Access to an unreported email address was an equally serious breach, according to Magistrate Zachary Sarra, who said it functions “like a key” for offenders to access exploitation material.

The “recidivist” offending came after significant relevant criminal history.

The court heard Coutts was in 2016 sentenced to two years’ prison, wholly suspended for three years, for possessing child exploitation material.

In 2019 he was sentenced to three years’ prison for the same type of offence and was released on a five-year good behaviour bond.

And last year, the court heard, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison also suspended for similar offending.

According to prosecutors the matters were further aggravated given he had breached suspended sentences on multiple occasions before and had spent 596 days in pre-sentence custody previously.

Defence solicitor Allan Phillips said his client’s perplexing complacency, acknowledged as “very serious” breaches, were driven by a state of “overwhelming depression”.

Described as leading a “miserable existence”, Coutts’ offending was “not linked to any malicious behaviour”, according to the defence.

Mr Phillips further noted no exploitation material had been found in his client’s possession of late.

“He is not preying on kids actively,” Mr Phillips said.

Magistrate Sarra remarked that an offender with Coutts’ history did not have to “actively prey” on children to create harm and noted that he was “on a short leash” for good reason.

Coutts’ argumentative manner at court did him little favour.

“You still continue to argue … I don’t see any remorse,” Magistrate Sarra said.

Coutts was sentenced to three months’ prison and given a parole release date in three months’ time.

He is scheduled to next appear at the District Court to be re-sentenced for breaching his most recent suspended jail sentence.