Former Carl’s Jr manager Ashley Mirko sentenced over child porn
Former fast food manager Ashley Bryan Mirko has been sentenced to 18-months behind bars after pleading guilty to possessing child porn as a result of being stressed at work.
A former manager of Carl’s Jr at Bateau Bay was so stressed out by his job it drove him to look at child pornography, a court has heard.
Ashley Bryan Mirko was sentenced on Friday to 18-months in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography and using a carriage service to transmit it.
The 27-year-old told Gosford District Court he was hired as a manager at Carl’s Jr but given “no authority” so when the store failed to make its targets he was blamed.
Mirko said he had become depressed and began looking at child pornography and using the encrypted Telegram messaging app to send and receive images and videos with others.
The court heard he had a particular interest in images and videos depicting prepubescent boys being penetrated and in pain.
A psychologist’s report tendered to court said Mirko was being belittled at work and as a result turned to viewing images and videos of young boys being abused in order to empower himself.
However, in giving evidence, Mirko said he looked at the images because he was depressed from the stress of his job and sent abuse material in order to get more vile material in return.
The court heard he had also been abused as a child and was diagnosed with a pedophilic disorder.
An agreed set of facts revealed he engaged with others on the Telegram app telling them he wanted to have sex with boys and asked one if he had a young relative that he “could drug him”.
Mirko said he did not think his conversations would have incited others to engage in child abuse or he would have ever acted on his expressed desires.
He told the court he only said those things to get “a rise” out of people.
The court heard Mirko had only ever lived with his mother and police raided their house on March 9 last year with him telling officers “everything is in there”.
Police seized five devices including an Apple computer, Apple laptop, iPad Air, an iPad 5 and an iPhone which contained 897 images and 37 videos.
Police estimated the material contained more than 300 separate victims.
Police also found he transmitted 71 images and 54 videos in nine “chats” between January 2017 and February 2018 using the Telegram app.
Judge Tanya Bright said the material showed the victims being subjected to “serious and depraved sexual activity” including sodomy.
She said Mirko developed an attraction to both sexes but “has not completely come out” and had an “isolated life” with just one female companion.
Judge Bright said Mirko had reflected on his offending and had come to realise the material involved “real victims”.
She said the punishment had to denounce the offending because the demand for child abuse material created a market for it and it was usually produced in third world countries where children were often not afforded the same levels of protection.
Dressed in a black shirt and black pants Mirko was led into custody for the first time since his arrest last year.
IN OTHER NEWS
NSWRL Junior Reps: Roosters sink Eels in extra-time epic
The cream of the crop was on show at Leichhardt Oval with the next generation of stars showing out on NSWRL Junior Reps grand final day. Relive all the action from the four deciders.
Motel manager sentenced after group shirtfronts tenant with axe
A motel manager has been sentenced in court after he recruited four men – one armed with an axe – to intimidate a tenant who was behind in his rent. Here’s what happened in court.