Kent Matthew Roland Cheney pleads guilty in Coffs court to filming young boys

A youth minister and father of four filmed young boys getting changed before they went swimming at a pool in northern NSW. He now lives in Queensland.

Kent Matthew Roland Cheney avoids the camera in glasses and a hat as he leaves Coffs Harbour courthouse on January 24.

A youth minister and father of four young children used an app on his phone to film boys getting changed before they went swimming at a church pool in Coffs Harbour.

A court heard the videos were not shared with others but were used for his own sexual gratification and later deleted.

Kent Matthew Roland Cheney has since moved to Queensland but was a minister in the Coffs Harbour area for about six years when the offending took place.

The 31-year-old appeared in Coffs Harbour Local Court for sentencing flanked by family members including his wife, parents and parents-in-law on January 24.

He pleaded guilty to six charges of filming private parts without consent – aggravated.

After sentencing at Coffs Harbour Local Court on January 24, Kent Matthew Roland Cheney attempted to avoid the camera, walking behind another group of people and wearing a hat pulled down over sunglasses.

Cheney made the recordings with an app he downloaded, enabling his phone to film while it appeared to be locked.

The charges relate to six young boys from four families, aged between six and 12, and it was not until he moved to Rothwell in Queensland that he confessed to a church leader.

According to court documents he told the leader:

“I have to let you know that in my time in Coffs Harbour I had been filming kids from families who came to my home (the church mance).

“I put a camera in the bathroom.

“I felt convicted in my own conscience that it happened and needed to get it off my chest.”

After his arrest at Tweed Heads Police Station, officers searched his home and found his computer had been cleared and returned to its factory settings.

Cheney told police he never kept the recordings for more than a day.

Kent Matthew Roland Cheney.

His lawyer told the court Cheney had undergone “immense” rehabilitation since confessing and that none of the boys who were filmed were touched at any point or even knew the filming took place.

Police prosecutor Sergeant David Sams acknowledged Cheney was a man of “previously good character” but added: “that’s the problem with this kind of offending – that being of good character helps the offender to become trusted.”

He said the recordings were deliberate and made for Cheney’s own sexual gratification.

“These young boys have had their dignity and their privacy removed from them – this is a multifaceted offence and it’s not just the children who are affected.”

Mr Sams said it was certainly not a “victimless crime” with the impacts rippling through the families and community.

He went on to raise concerns about Cheney’s current job as a manager at a “major fast food chain”.

Coffs Harbour courthouse.

Cheney’s lawyer told the court that the youngest person employed at the restaurant was 14 and that at all times, there are “other adults who work there”.

Magistrate Theresa Hamilton recognised that Cheney is undergoing psychological counselling and has admitted to being sexually attracted to young people and has “taken steps to deal with that, and continue to practice his faith”.

Cheney was convicted of the charges and Ms Hamilton placed him on a two-year community corrections order to be of good behaviour and continue counselling and rehabilitation.

A child safety plan has also been established in collaboration with Cheney’s wife to ensure the safety of their children.

Cheney attempted to avoid the camera on the way out of court after sentencing. He walked behind an group of people and wore a hat pulled down over sunglasses.