Sunshine Coast man charged with child grooming

A convicted child sex predator with “psychopathic traits” released into the community has allegedly continued committing online offences against children while living at the Wacol prison precinct.

Contingency housing at Wacol prison precinct.

A convicted child sex predator with “psychopathic traits” released into the community has allegedly continued committing online offences against children while living at the Wacol prison precinct.

The 26-year-old, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, was released from prison, after his sentence expired in November, on a 10-year supervision order under the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act.

The Sunshine Coast man was placed on the supervision order after the Attorney-General sought for him to be detained indefinitely or only released if subject to strict conditions.

The Supreme Court which made the supervision order heard from a psychiatrist who found he had “significant anti-social and psychopathic traits”.

The man had been in prison since October 2016 for offences including carnal knowledge of a child under 16, procuring a sexual act with threat/intimidation, child grooming, 22 counts of indecent treatment of a child and supplying drugs to minors. The court heard he’d supplied the drugs to encourage underage girls to provide him with sexual favours.

In 2018 he was sentenced to 18 months prison for 40 child-sex crimes, including grooming a child under 16, indecent treatment of a child and possessing child exploitation material.

In that case he manipulated six girls aged between 12 and 14 into sending him 191 nude photos. He also sent victims nudes of himself.

After his release in November the man allegedly breached his supervision order while living in housing for sex offenders at the Wacol prison precinct, according to court documents.

The contingency housing is on prison land but is not part of the jail.

The documents allege that police were tipped off that he might have a phone that had not been approved.

Police saw the man using a phone at Milton train station in May and seized it along with a with a notebook allegedly containing details of social media accounts.

The documents allege he later told police he’d been receiving nude photos from girls aged 16 and under and sending nudes of himself. .

It’s alleged he told a case worker the seized notebook contained accounts and details of girls he wanted to contact.

He was remanded in custody on June 1 and later charged with two counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 by allegedly exposing them to indecent film and picture.

He has also been charged with two counts of grooming a child under 16 and one count of possessing child exploitation material.

A Queensland Corrective Services spokesperson wouldn’t discuss the management of individual offenders.

“Offenders who live in the contingency housing are supervised subject to their individual orders set by the court, based on their offending risks,” she said.

“Offenders who contravene their supervision orders face breach action and being returned to custody.”

The man returns to court next later this month.