Darling Downs man who abducted girl repeatedly found with sickening child abuse material
A Darling Downs man caught with sickening child abuse videos, while on bail for the same crime, has also been sentenced for abducting a girl under the age of 15.
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A Darling Downs man who spent more than two years on remand in custody for a range of child sex offences has been released from custody.
Shane David Matheson-Bell was released from jail after pleading guilty to abducting a child and two charges of possessing graphic child abuse material before the Toowoomba District Court on Friday, June 20.
The 38-year-old Toowoomba and Warwick region man pleaded guilty to those three charges, which related to three separate instances, after a trial where he was acquitted of indecently dealing with a 12-year-old boy.
The Toowoomba District Court heard Matheson-Bell’s depravity online came to light after police searched his phone following his arrest for abducting a child under the age of 16.
Judge Dennis Lynch KS said the abduction charge was on the lower end of criminality as there was no suggestion Matheson-Bell was sexually interested in the teenager.
Mr Lynch said the girl was unhappy at home, which led to Matheson-Bell encouraging her to run away and stay with him.
The day after, police picked the girl up from Matheson-Bell’s Stanthorpe home.
The court heard when police searched his phone they found 15 child exploitation files, which included a video of a boy under the age of 15 being raped.
At the time of the offences in 2023, the court heard Matheson-Bell was on bail for possessing child exploitation material following a raid in 2021.
The other exploitation charge related to 13 images of boys and girls, aged between three years old and 15 years old, either posed naked in sexual positions or engaging in sex acts.
The court heard that the farm hand and fruit picker’s criminal history included a conviction for possessing child exploitation in both Western Australia and Queensland.
Judge Lynch said a report before the court said Matheson-Bell’s drug use contributed to a “pattern of dysfunctional sexual interest”.
Mr Lynch noted Matheson-Bell had served a long term on remand for the contested indecent treatment of a child charge, which was dropped following a jury trial on Thursday, June 18.
Matheson-Bell was sentenced to serve 811 days in jail, which was declared as time served.
He was released from custody.
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Originally published as Darling Downs man who abducted girl repeatedly found with sickening child abuse material
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