Tristan Michael Black pleads guilty to trading meth for sex with 14yo girl

A sexual predator who lured teenage girls to hotel rooms via Snapchat before asking them to trade sex favours for methamphetamine has walked free from prison.

A father-turned-drug dealer who lured young girls online and gave them methamphetamine in exchange for sex has walked free from prison.

Tristan Michael Black, 42, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to 29 offences, including two counts of carnal knowledge with a 14-year-old girl, 14 counts of supplying a dangerous drug to minors, six counts of using the internet to procure a child and a range of other drug-related offences committed over a six-month period last year.

Addressing the Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday, Crown Prosecutor Phillippa Ahern said Mr Black used the social media app Snapchat to arrange to meet two 14-year-old girls in a hotel room on December 24, 2020 where he gave them methamphetamine.

He then met with one of the girls at least three more times between December 2020 and June 2021, giving her more methamphetamine in return for sex and other sexual favours, the court heard.

The court heard one occasion, Mr Black injected the young girl with methamphetamine before sexually touching her.

He continued to provide the other girl with methamphetamine but she turned down his sexual advances on at least six occasions.

He was 26 years older than the girls at the time.

Ms Ahern said the two teens, who were friends, were “clearly addicted” and willing to engage in sex acts for the drugs, with Mr Black even making the effort to drop drugs to them at school.

“He did this for his own sexual gratification,” she said.

Mr Black’s crimes were only uncovered after one girl’s mother found a disturbing video of her daughter on June 26, 2021, prompting her to call the police, the court heard.

Officers found Mr Black with one of the girls in a hotel room, along with methamphetamine, and arrested him.

Mr Black’s defence barrister Simone Bain told the court his offending started while dealing with a series of issues relating to his broken marriage and Covid-19 impacts, which caused him to break down and start using drugs.

The court heard he had a minor criminal history involving one prior drug offence at age 39 for which he was issued a four-month good behaviour bond.

Prior to this, Ms Bain said Mr Black was a good father and husband who always held steady employment.

Ms Bain also claimed Mr Black initially believed the girls were 17 years old, and was now remorseful for his actions.

“When we spoke to him this morning in the watch house about that, he said that he deals now with the benefit of hindsight and insight into the fact that what he did caused pain and embarrassment to his own family,” Ms Bain said.

“Unsolicited, he noted that he caused pain and embarrassment to the victims, as he referred to them as, and their family.”

Justice David Jackson said although methamphetamine users did “out of character things,” Mr Black’s sudden predatory offending was “troubling,” particularly as Mr Black was a “family man” with children of a similar age.

“To be blunt, his circumstances and history otherwise, it just doesn‘t make much sense,” Justice Jackson said.

“All the more remarkable because you have two relatively young children of your own.”

Justice Jackson handed Mr Black a four-year suspended prison sentence, with his parole date immediately fixed from today.

His 519 days spent in pre-sentence custody was counted as time served.