Bruce Pascoe, 59, of Church Point jailed for possessing child sex abuse material
Bruce Arthur Pascoe, 59, a well-known figure in the northern beaches’ boating community, has been sentenced after admitting to possessing 30 pornographic photos of pre-teen girls.
Manly
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A sick Pittwater perv has been jailed for downloading vile internet images that included children as young as six-years-old being sexually abused by adults.
Bruce Arthur Pascoe, 59, a well-known figure in the northern beaches’ boating community, admitted to possessing 30 pornographic photos of pre-teen girls.
Pascoe, who ran a boat canvas cover and upholstery business from a floating workshop moored on McCarrs Creek at Church Point, was jailed for 13 months.
Manly Local Court heard that Pascoe told police that he did not think he was doing anything illegal by accessing pictures of children engaged in sexual activities “because they were published in the public domain”.
A Facts Sheet tendered to court said Pascoe also told police he had the images because “he did not socialise and was of the opinion that as he was not the adult depicted in the image, and therefore not responsible for harassing the young girls, then it was OK to view”.
Pascoe, who was arrested in January, pleaded guilty to one count of possess child abuse material after police found the content on two USB sticks and a laptop computer.
Of the 30 images discovered, 23 fell under the most serious of international category of child abuse material.
On one USB there were depictions of a girl aged six to eight years old “engaged in sexual intercourse” and a girl as young as 10 performing a sexual act.
In a folder title “Smile” on Pascoe’s laptop there was an image of an adult male and female performing sexual activities in front of an eight-year-old girl.
The Facts Sheet said that police conducted a web-browsing history on his mobile phone which showed he “actively seeks out images/videos of young girls”.
Police prosecutor Scott Williams told Manly Local Court in April that: “The community are rightly disgusted by child abuse material because offences of this kind include the children involved.”
Magistrate Michell Goodwin told Pascoe on Thursday that accessing child abuse material was an offence that “strikes at the very nature of society”
Ms Goodwin said offences involving child pornography were “not victimless crimes”.
“If people continue to involve themselves in these offences, it creates a market.
“These matters are so severe they warrant a term of imprisonment,” Ms Goodwin said.
Pascoe was sentenced to 13 months in jail with a non-parole period of seven months.