Cleveland sex offender Steven William Johnson dealing to kids

When police executed a search warrant on a Redlands man’s residence, they discovered three teenagers with him, a court has heard.

A convicted Redlands child sex offender supplied cannabis to a child twice, with police discovering a group of teenagers unrelated to him at his home when they arrested him.

Cleveland man Steven William Johnson, 30, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Friday to two counts of aggravated supply of a drug to a child under the age of 16.

The court heard both offences occurred in July last year at Johnson’s Cleveland address.

The offending came to light following the execution of a search warrant on July 22.

When police entered, they discovered Johnson in the company of three teenagers, two aged 15 and one aged 14.

One of the teenagers was consuming cannabis supplied by Johnson, the court heard.

Analysis of Johnson’s mobile phone revealed he had offered to trade a stick of cannabis on July 15 to one of the teenagers in exchange for the teen’s mother’s mobile phone, which he was trying to sell.

Johnson was remanded in pre-sentence custody for 96 days following his arrest.

Cleveland man Steven William Johnson, 30. Picture: Alex Treacy

The court heard Johnson was a convicted sex offender who was sentenced in 2010 in a Western Australian court for a raft of grooming-type offences committed against children when he was aged 18.

He received a “significant” period of actual custody for this offending, the court heard.

Defence counsel Joshua Fenton told the court his client had a good work history but hasn’t held a job since 2017 following a spinal injury sustained after falling from a second-storey roof in the course of work.

Johnson was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment with immediate court-ordered parole.