Illawarra man David Seddon refused bail after child porn charges

David William Seddon appeared in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday, after he was charged under Strike Force Wonna, established to investigate him following sexually explicit comments he allegedly made about young boys.

David Seddon. Pic: Facebook.

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An Illawarra man has spent his 68th birthday behind bars, after being arrested and charged in relation to child sex offences and possession of a fake Philippine passport and driver’s licence.

David William Seddon appeared in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday, after he was charged under a strike force established to investigate him following sexually explicit comments he allegedly made about young boys at a Wollongong hotel.

In the early hours of July 22, the 68-year-old was slapped with three charges including possess child abuse material, knowingly possess fake travel document and goods in custody.

Seddon appeared in front of Magistrate Michael Stoddart from police cells at Wollongong Police Station today, where he was refused bail due to the serious nature of his offences.

According to police facts tendered to the court, Strike Force Wonna was established in May, after Seddon allegedly told a witness that he “liked to have sex with younger boys”.

David Seddon faced Wollongong Local Court on July 24 where he was refused bail.

Police will allege Seddon told the shocked witness he was talking about consensual sex, and handed her a business card and CD, claiming he was a script and song writer. Police say one of the tracks on the CD was titled “Don’t Tell Daddy”.

Police allege in the past 20 years Seddon has made several trips to ports of high child exploitation like the Philippines and Thailand, saying he was “well-connected” in those areas.

After an initial search on the 68-year-old’s Coniston property, police allegedly found several false identifications in various names from several jurisdictions. Police facts tendered to the court also alleged Australian Federal Police seized a fake Tennessee driver’s licence from Seddon earlier this month.

During the course of the strike force investigation, police also allege Seddon contacted a computer company and asked questions about how to use the Dark Web.

During another search on his home, police seized Seddon’s laptop, which allegedly contained several pornographic images of children under the age of 16.

Based on the pornography viewed on Seddon’s computer, police will allege he had a preference for jail scene sexual encounters, sexual torture and father/son pornography.

At 5.55am on Monday, police arrested Seddon at his Coniston home, where they seized several electronic storage devices, a mobile phone, tablet, and laptop.

Police allegedly also found a Philippine passport and driver’s licence, which was authentic in appearance. The photo depicted Seddon, however the name, date of birth, address and nationality were not his.

Investigations are continuing and police say Seddon is likely to face more charges.

Police also say they found several passport sized photos of Seddon wearing numerous different disguises like glasses and wigs. Several seized notebooks were found, which were allegedly titled “Scram. Relocating under a new identity” and “How to create a new identity and disappear. Do it the right way!”

When questioned by police after his arrest, Seddon allegedly said the false identities were “a joke” and the books were research for his new script called “IDs”.

According to police facts Seddon did, however, acknowledge the Philippine passport and licence were fake and that he had purchased the passport for $25 in Bangkok 10 years ago.

Seddon allegedly denied the allegations of child abuse material located on seized SD cards, telling arresting officers the images were all of consenting persons aged over 16.

The goods in custody charge related to the Viagra allegedly found in Seddon’s home.

During his court appearance on Wednesday, the prosecution argued against his release, fearing he was a flight risk.

According to police facts, Seddon had planned to move out of his residence at the end of his lease on August 11 and travel to the Philippines for at least three months.

Despite Seddon’s defence lawyer offering her client pay a surety of up to $100,000, Magistrate Stoddart worried he was a risk of failing to appear in court.

After his bail was refused, Seddon asked to be placed in protective custody, saying he feared for his safety while in jail. He also told the court he had “a bit of ill health” and was referred to Justice Health for assessment.

Investigations are continuing and police say Seddon is likely to face more charges. The case will return to court in September.

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