Northern NSW people who faced court for child abuse material named and shamed

In 2021 the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation received more than 33,000 reports of online child sexual exploitation - here’s what happened to the people in Northern NSW who were caught.

Each year numerous people are sentenced for possessing child abuse material.

The material in question ranges from children as a victim of torture, cruelty or physical abuse, to children engaged in sexual activity or in the presence of another person engaged in sexual activity.

In 2021 the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation received more than 33,000 reports of online child sexual exploitation material - with each report containing images and videos of children being sexually assaulted or exploited.

These are some of the people who faced court for their offences in Northern NSW.

Stephen Potts

A disability worker who accessed and spread sexual images of children has learnt his fate after telling the court he hated himself for the deed.

Stephen Potts, 29, was sentenced for eight carriage-related child abuse material offences, including three of using a carriage service to transmit/publish/promote child abuse in the Lismore District Court in December 2021.

Potts was part of a group of offenders charged over child exploitation material uncovered by the Australian Federal Police during Operation Arkstone.

The child victims ranged in age from 16 months to 15 years, with an average age of eight years.

The material was discovered during a raid of Potts’ Goonellabah home in August 2020.

Judge Warwick Hunt convicted Potts and sentenced him to two years and nine months in jail.

However, Potts will serve 12 months and then be released on a recognisance release order under good behaviour for a period of three years.

Kurt William Nicholls

Kurt Nicholls has pleaded guilty to disseminating child exploitation material.

A Bray Park man has been jailed after police found thousands of images and videos of child porn on his computer.

Kurt William Nicholls, 27, was sentenced in Tweed Heads Local Court in October 2021 for dissemination or possession of child abuse material.

According to court papers, police found images and videos of pre-pubescent girls and boys engaged in sexual activity and adult men with pre-pubescent girls.

Police say it appeared Nicholls had gathered a large amount of child abuse material over an extensive period of time.

Magistrate Geoff Dunlevy convicted and sentenced Nicholls to 15 months in jail.

Matthew Ellis Atkins

Matthew Ellis Atkins possessed child abuse material.

A Tweed Heads dad who used child abuse material to “extort paedophiles” will spend the next three months behind bars.

Matthew Ellis Atkins, 49, was sentenced in Tweed Heads Local Court in May 2022 after he previously pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material.

The court heard Atkins was found with 52 images of naked, pre-pubescent females during a search on February 25.

According to court papers throughout the police investigation Atkins maintained he searched for and possessed child abuse material for the purpose of identifying paedophiles on the internet so he can extort them for financial gain.

Atkins was sentenced to nine months imprisonment with a three month non-parole period.

Dale Jerel Rixon

Dale Jerel Rixon in front of the Grafton Courthouse.

A magistrate has assessed the seriousness of videos that have been added as evidence against a Grafton man who has pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material.

Dale Jerel Rixon’s two charges of possessing child abuse material and another of possessing a prohibited drug were mentioned in Grafton Local Court in March 2022.

The police prosecution made submissions of further images, videos and a substitute categorisation schedule of seriousness.

Rixon was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with a non-parole period of 8 months and an 18 month community corrections order. He is eligible for parole on January 26, 2023.