Colin Wayne Cassan: Blackett man jailed for child abuse material

A court has heard of a grandad’s abhorrent child abuse picture collection including the face of a child known to him superimposed onto the naked body of an unknown child.

A western Sydney man went to great lengths to hide his secret interest in images of children being sexually abused by tapping into his neighbour’s Wi-Fi and using a fake name.

Colin Wayne Cassan, 53, was found with hundreds of images and gifs depicting child abuse when police raided his Blackett home, near Mt Druitt, last March.

Police tracked a Google email address and mobile phone number to Cassan, who had been using a VPN to browse the dark web and source the depraved material, it was heard in Parramatta District Court on Wednesday.

Despite using a fake name and his neighbour’s internet to access the images, officers uncovered a stash of 256 images showing children as young as toddler age engaged in sexual acts.

During sentencing, the court heard 161 images were classified as the worst kind of child abuse material, depicting children either witnessing or engaged in a sexual act or with a focus on the child’s genital region.

Cassan admitted to browsing the dark web to source his collection of child abuse material. Picture: Generic

Some of the images depicted sadism and bestiality, while the remaining material was deemed to be in the lesser category.

During his arrest, Cassan directed officers to a tablet in the lounge room, before handing over a mobile phone and SD cards containing the material.

Most disturbingly, police found a photoshopped image of a child known to Cassan whose head had been edited onto the naked body of an unknown child.

He admitted to producing the image and told police “it was better it be a child (he) knew”.

Describing his behaviour as “disgusting”, Cassan revealed he became “hypersexualised” while using the drug ice, which prompted him to jump on the dark web, browse selected websites and download the material before deleting it after he became ashamed.

His defence barrister Sarah Carr told the court the cycle of re-downloading and deleting the material had taken place over a significant period of time.

“While abhorrent, the sequence where he produces the image is towards the lowest end of offending of that type,” Ms Carr said.

“Material of this type is usually produced to barter to increase one’s own collection … he had no intention of that photograph being seen by anyone else but himself.”

Parramatta District Court, where Mr Cassan was sentenced on Wednesday. Picture: Supplied

Cassan expressed his shame over his offending, telling police he wanted to kill himself. He attempted to take his own life as a result of the charges.

He was thrown back into custody while on bail after he was found with a mobile phone, which he was banned from owning at the time.

Judge Stephen Hanley described the offending as “depraved”.

“It is clear each of the images depicted real children in a depraved situation and they suffered in the production of the material based on the description of it,” he said.

“Involving the head of a child he knew onto the naked body of a child, indicated a desire by him to create an image that would be sexually arousing to him.

“The child in question was not subject to any abuse, but it certainly indicates he had a sexual interest in children, particularly ones he could personally identify with.”

Judge Hanley accepted Cassan was genuinely remorseful and found special circumstances in sentencing due to his physical and mental health issues, including an acquired brain injury and schizophrenia.

Cassan pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing child abuse material and was jailed for a maximum of two years and three months. He will be eligible for parole next April.

Lifeline 13 11 14