Ex-Edu dept worker Damian Craig Jackson jailed after caught with 2000 child exploitation material files

A Brisbane man and principal architect of Personalised Plates Qld has been jailed after being caught with more than 2000 child exploitation material files involving hundreds in the worst category.

Damian Craig Jackson faced the Brisbane District Court on Friday.

A former Education Department and Corrective Services worker and principal architect of Personalised Plates Queensland has been jailed after being caught with more than 2000 child exploitation material files involving hundreds in the worst category.

Police raided Damian Craig Jackson’s Upper Kedron home in August 2023 seizing a laptop that continued 1741 unique child abuse images and 129 videos depicting child exploitation material, Brisbane’s District Court heard.

The offending had occurred over five days that month and involved 619 images and 108 videos that were deemed to be of the worst kind, the court heard.

“And this is real children … children being subjected to what can only describe as the most abhorrent conduct,” Judge Jennifer Rosengren said.

Most of the children were between seven and 12 but some were as young as four.

“He is before the court today for offending that involved the possession and access of depraved material, depicting the exploitation and sexual abuse of young children,” crown prosecutor Shontelle Farnsworth said on Friday.

Police raided Damian Craig Jackson’s Upper Kedron home in August 2023. Picture: LinkedIn

Jackson, 43, who was the principal architect/technical director at Personalised Plates Queensland until he was charged, pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to access child abuse material and possessing child exploitation material.

Barrister Timothy Wise, instructed by Beavon Lawyers, said his client was remorseful and had insight into his offending which was accepted by Judge Jennifer Rosengren.

“He is acutely aware this is not a victimless crime. He’s aware that these are real people,” he said.

A psychologist report revealed symptomology of autism however it was only a screeding assessment.

“That material still suggests that he’s someone who has unusual interpersonal skills and the submission is this - a period of custody will be particularly difficult,” Mr Wise said.

He highlighted Jackson’s early guilty plea, absence of a criminal record, short offending period and good work history.

According to Jackson’s LinkedIn page he was a senior technical specialist at the Education Department and prior to that an executive manager in IT at Queensland Corrective Services.

Most recently he’d been developing a computer program for personal finance.

Judge Rosengren was critical of Jackson’s failure to seek treatment for his offending despite attending counselling for depression and anxiety.

He adamantly denied to a psychologist having a sexual interest in children and said he’d been curious about the Dark Web as an explanation for his offending.

This contradicted what he told police that he had an interest in children since probably his late teens, the court heard.

Judge Rosengren said Jackson well understood the children in the videos and images “were being actually subjected to sexual abuse, physical hurt and psychological scarring and damage.”

“Your conduct, what it has done is to encourage the abhorrent sexual exploitation of young, vulnerable children,” she said.

Jackson was sentenced to 18 months jail to be suspended after four months, two years of probation and a three year $500 good behaviour bond.