Mohamed Mouhajer: Bankstown twin jailed for possessing child abuse material

A twin from Bankstown has admitted to downloading a vile cache of more than 5000 child abuse images - some depicting children as young as three - and sending them to himself via Snapchat.

A southwest Sydney twin who confessed to possessing and sharing child abuse material has been jailed for 18 months.

Mohamed Mouhajer, 25, faced Campbelltown District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to possessing child abuse material and using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material to himself in July.

Three charges including two counts of possessing or controlling child abuse material, and one charge of using a carriage service to transmit, publish or promote child abuse were withdrawn.

Mohamed Mouhajer has been taken into custody for 18 months. Picture: Facebook

Judge Christopher O’Brien told the court Mouhajer’s Eagle Vale home was raided by members of the Australian Federal Police Child Protection Corporation team, who found a hard drive, laptop, and three phones in his possession.

The court heard police examined all devices and found 5005 downloaded images and videos, some depicting children believed to be as young as three. Fourteen children were depicted being abused in the images.

Judge O’Brien told the court Mouhajer used Snapchat to transmit some of the images and videos between his devices.

“After he was arrested he told police there was child abuse material on his laptop and phone, which he downloaded from links on the deep web using a dark net browser,” he said.

“It was the first time he went on the dark web and he had no specific intention.”

Mohamed Mouhajer pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material and transmitting it to himself. Picture: Facebook

Details of a psychologist report read to the court outlined that Mouhajer had been downloading child abuse material for a year before his arrest and was he attracted by child porn.

The court heard he was satisfied by “all porn” but was interested in the dark web and saved the material from his laptop onto his phone, but did not send it to anyone else.

During a sentence hearing on October 8, senior federal prosecutor Rory Macken told the court there was no option but to sentence Mouhajer to full-time custody.

Judge O’Brien agreed on Friday the severity of full-time imprisonment was appropriate.

“The offender is still a very young man and I am satisfied there is some work to be done,” he said.

Mouhajer was convicted of both charges and sentenced to an aggregate term of imprisonment of three years, but a recognisance release order was made after 18 months.

He will spend 18 months behind bars before release on April 26, 2023.

His twin brother, Rabie Mouhajer, pleaded guilty to 11 charges on Wednesday including possess or control child abuse material with a carriage service, four counts of use carriage service to transmit or publish child abuse, two counts of use carriage service to solicit child abuse material.

A further four charges of use carriage service to transmit child abuse matter to self are going to be placed on a Form 1.

The prosecution does not allege the pair were co-offenders. Rabie will be sentenced in November.