Public servant charged with child sex offences

A public servant from Queensland has been charged with serious child sex offences, including indecent treatment and stalking, making child exploitation material and obscene publications and exhibitions.

Sidney Ricky Bassett Shanks appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday. Picture: File photo

A public servant from Queensland has been charged with serious child sex offences.

Sidney Ricky Bassett Shanks, 59, of Coorparoo faced Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday and made an application for bail.

Shanks is charged with two counts each of indecent treatment of child under 16 and stalking and one count each of making child exploitation material, possessing child exploitation material and obscene publications and exhibitions.

According to court documents Shanks was charged on Saturday and spent the last two nights in the watchhouse.

Legal Aid duty lawyer Christabelle Stafford-Smith said the Canadian born Shanks had no criminal history and was employed full time as a public servant.

Ms Stafford-Smith said the most serious of the allegations involving physical acts occurred in January 2022.

The court heard police were informed but a decision was made not to proceed with a complaint at that point.

However further information was received relating to the alleged publication of material online and another complainant came forward and police laid charges, the court heard.

According to court documents Shanks “publicly distributed an obscene computer generated image” between October and November of this year.

Ms Stafford-Smith said her client made significant admissions to police during an interview and provided his phone and computer with their passcodes.

“He was extremely cooperative with the police and that is a unique feature in this case,” she said.

“My client is employed full time as a public servant and has been through two years in the same employment.

“My client is a good candidate for bail and the court can be confident that with those strict conditions that the risk will be mitigated to an appropriate level.”

Police formally opposed bail in a written affidavit on the basis Shanks posed an alleged risk of committing further witnesses, interfering with witnesses and failing to appear.

Magistrate Andrew Moloney granted bail on conditions he report weekly to police, not contact any witnesses or alleged victims, surrender his Canadian and Australian passports, not enter any international departure point and remain in Queensland.

The matter was adjourned to January 22.