Convicted child sex offender Paul John Crowley, 56, pleads guilty to failing to report under child act

A court has heard a child sex offender who pleaded guilty to failing his reporting duties has in the past used his qualifications to lure a child.

A convicted child sex offender told a 15-year-old girl he was grooming: “I am a trustworthy person; I am lawyer”, a court has heard.

He has had his matter adjourned so police can review his “significant” criminal history.

Acting in his own defence, Woolloongabba man Paul John Crowley, 56, pleaded guilty at Cleveland Magistrates Court on Tuesday to one count of failing to comply with reporting duties under a child protection offender reporting and offender prohibition order.

The matter was adjourned when details of Crowley’s past imprisonment was challenged by the defendant, despite his guilty plea.

Prior to that, the court heard Crowley had breached his quarterly reporting duties on September 1 when he failed to make contact with police in August.

According to police prosecutor Sergeant Angela Tetley, Crowley told investigating officers he had simply forgotten and was stressed at the time he failed to report – an obligation deemed critical by the prosecution.

“It is the only reason why was given the opportunity to remain in the community, otherwise they wouldn’t have released him,” Sgt Tetley said.

“We need to know where child sex offenders are.”

The offending came on the back of a “significant” criminal history.

The court heard Crowley was on January 18 sentenced to eight months’ prison suspended over three years, having served six months for indecent treatment of a child under 16.

According to police he was also recently sentenced to six months’ prison with immediate parole and two years’ probation for another offence of the same charge.

The court heard Crowley’s past offending featured blatant grooming of teenage girls.

The court was told Crowley in 2017 was witnessed harassing a 15-year-old girl working a cash register at a store.

According to prosecutors Crowley variously told the girl, during numerous approaches, that “I am a trustworthy person; I am lawyer”; asked her whether she had ever ridden a horse; asked her when she was getting off work and offered to pick her up.

Further aggravating his September offending, the court heard, were five instances of previous bail breaches.

And in February 2018 Crowley was sentenced to two months’ prison for failing to report under the similar obligations.

A decision to adjourn the matter was made when Crowley claimed he was imprisoned in 2017 for 19.5 months on charges that were later dropped and so could not have failed to report on two previous instances mentioned by the prosecution.

The submission was challenged as “nonsense” by the prosecutors who said all the relevant facts could be collected within an hour and could easily be cleared up.

Ms Vasta said it was important to clear up the past details about his time served as it would impact his pending sentence for his September 1 offence of failing to report.

Crowley was released on bail and is next scheduled to appear before the court on November 4.