Andrew John Hine from Tuncurry jailed for child abuse material

A Mid-North Coast man with a history of similar offending has been jailed for possessing child abuse after police made a shocking discovery in his garage.

Hine was sentenced to 15 months in prison with a 10-month non-parole period meaning he will be eligible for release on February 15 next year.

A Tuncurry man with a history of similar offending has been jailed for possessing child abuse material after police made a shocking discovery in his garage.

Andrew John Hine pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material and appeared before Taree Local Court on Monday, April 17 for sentencing.

The thickset 50-year-old with thinning grey hair, sat quietly in a blue checked shirt as court sheriffs moved in behind him, preparing for the verdict.

Magistrate Allison Hawkins sentenced him to 15 months in prison with a 10-month non-parole period meaning he will be eligible for release on February 15 next year.

He had been on bail since the offending which was uncovered by police as part of a routine check of his Tuncurry home on September 10 last year.

Taree police station and courthouse.

In 2008 Hine was convicted of possessing child ‘pornography’ as the charge was known back then, and placed on the child protection register for 15 years.

Being on the register means police are required to conduct regular compliance checks and when they came to his home on September 10 they smelt cannabis.

According to police facts tendered to court officers attended his Tuncurry home on numerous occasions since 2019 and he did not “disclose that he owns multiple hard drives”.

After they smelt marijuana they went to the garage and saw a computer with a number of pornography websites open and next to the computer was a bong and a small amount of cannabis.

Officers asked him what kind of pornography he was downloading and he said “well a bit of everything , gay porn. I stay well clear of under 18, especially what happened before”.

Hine allowed police to look at the hard drive next to the computer and they found a number of folders including one marked ‘other’.

When asked if there was any child abuse material on the hard drive he answered “not that I am aware of”.

After searching the hard drive they found several videos with “at least six female children” depicted in them.

Hine pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing child abuse material (in relation to a female child believed to be five) and possessing a prohibited drug.

Three other charges of possessing child abuse material (videos of females between eight and 12 being abused by a male adult) were withdrawn.