Richard Spry: Glenwood man allegedly found with child abuse material

A Glenwood man who was arrested as part of an alleged child abuse sting can be pictured for the first time. It comes as the airconditioning worker faced court in Penrith for the first time since he was released on bail.

Glenwood man Richard Martin Spry, 48, leaves Penrith Local Court with his solicitor. He is charged over the alleged possession of child abuse material. Picture: Kate Lockley

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The first pictures can be revealed of a man charged over his alleged role in a child abuse ring operating in NSW and Queensland.

Richard Martin Spry, 48, of Glenwood, was charged after he was allegedly found with child abuse material on his mobile phone on May 8.

Spry faced Penrith Local Court for this first time on Friday since he was released on bail on one count of possessing child abuse material using a carriage service on May 11.

He sat quietly at the back of the courtroom as his matter was briefly mentioned on Friday and adjourned for the charge to be confirmed at the next court date.

Glenwood man Richard Spry, 48, was granted bail in May after he was charged with allegedly possessing child abuse material on his mobile phone. Picture: Kate Lockley

Spry was one of four men charged over their alleged roles in a child abuse ring in May.

Police allege Spry knew his co-accused Grant Harden, 30, of St Marys, who faces charges over the alleged sexual abuse of four boys and the production of child exploitation material.

It’s alleged Harden shared videos and images of the abuse online and engaged in sexual acts with two dogs.

Harden faces 10 charges, including: sexual intercourse with a child under 10, three counts of intentionally touch child under 10, bestiality, two counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, two counts of possessing or controlling child abuse material, and one count of possessing, controlling or producing child abuse material.

Grant Harden, 29, of St Marys, has been refused bail after being charged with allegedly producing child abuse material. Picture: Facebook

The charges come after the Australian Federal Police’s Operation Arkstone began probing an online network in February following a tip off from the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

At a bail hearing for Spry, the prosecution alleged that a police interview with Harden implicated Spry in a separate serious offence.

The prosecution indicated that further charges were likely to be laid against Spry.

As part of his bail conditions, Spry, who works for an airconditioning company in Sydney’s north-west, is banned from associating with Harden.

Wyong man Justin Kenneth Radford, 29, is charged with a string of offences, including using a child to make child abuse material. Picture: Supplied

He was ordered to live at his parents’ home in Kenthurst and is only allowed to use the internet for work purposes.

A Queensland man, 28, from the town of Hervey Bay faces a charge of transmitting and possessing child abuse material. He remains before the court.

His arrest followed a police investigation into Wyong man Justin Kenneth Radford, 29, earlier this year, who was charged after he allegedly filmed himself sexually abusing children and distributed the videos online.

Radford faces nine charges, including: doing and filming a sexual act on a child, inciting a child to perform a sexual act, use child to make child abuse material, two counts of sexually touch child, two counts of possessing or controlling child abuse material, one count of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material and bestiality.

Spry will return to court in August. He is yet to enter a plea to the charge.