Elijah Ezra Kember sentenced to jail in Taree court for sexually abusing teen girl, possession of vile child abuse material
A Mid-North Coast man who groomed a vulnerable girl was caught hoarding extreme child abuse material and other horrific imagery with “military grade” data encryption.
Mid-North Coast
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A Taree man who groomed and sexually abused a vulnerable teen on several occasions – and was found with a stash of extreme child abuse material – will remain in prison.
Elijah Ezra Kember has been sentenced for sexually assaulting the 15-year-old girl and he will stay behind bars until early 2026.
On one occasion in July last year, Kember took the girl to get her belly button pierced at Forster, signed a parent/guardian form and then took her to a nude beach, where they had sex without protection.
The 42-year-old was remanded in custody and sentenced in the Taree District Court on Wednesday.
Kember pleaded guilty to grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity and two counts each of possessing child abuse material and having aggravated sexual intercourse with a child.
One aggravating factor of Kember’s offending is that the victim lives with a mild intellectual impairment, according to court documents.
Prior to the Forster offending, the girl contacted Kember and asked him to buy her cigarettes.
Kember told the girl to have sex with him first, police state in court documents.
He met the girl at soccer fields at Wingham, where he had a key to the toilets for his job.
Kember initially claimed to police that the girl told him she was 18.
Police searched Kember’s home and found hundreds of child abuse photos and videos on his phone and laptop.
Some material was in the most extreme categorisation, depicting torture and sexual violence.
Police also found material involving bestiality and necrophilia and web bookmarks to “child erotica”.
Kember was using “military grade” data encryption, police state.
He has been sentenced to six years in prison with a non-parole period of three years and three months.
Considering time already spent in custody, Kember will be eligible for parole on January 24, 2026.
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