Luke Ron Baldwin-Davies from Port Macquarie pleads guilty to child sex offences, producing child abuse material
A Mid-North Coast man lived “close to a blameless life” until he filmed and sexually abused a child while affected by alcohol and magic mushrooms, a court has heard. Here’s what we know.
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Intoxicated by magic mushrooms and beer, a Port Macquarie man who had lived “close to a blameless life” filmed and sexually abused a child.
Luke Ron Baldwin-Davies has pleaded guilty to ten charges relating to an incident in the early hours of January 3, 2022, including three counts of using a child over 14 years to make child abuse material.
The 39-year-old spoke at his sentence hearing in Port Macquarie District Court.
On September 20, Baldwin-Davies said he did not remember what happened, but “agreed with everything you have charged me with”.
The court heard the victim sometimes stayed at the house where Baldwin-Davies lived.
“I don’t remember what happened – I’m not blaming the mushrooms, it’s my responsibility,” Baldwin-Davies said.
“It’s (magic mushrooms) a psychedelic drug and it’s because of the drugs this happened.”
When he saw the videos on his phone later that morning, Baldwin-Davies told the court he “felt sorry and deleted them straight away like any normal person would”.
He has been remanded in custody since January 4, 2022 and entered guilty pleas to the ten charges on June 5, 2023.
Charges include intentionally sexually touching a child older than 10 and younger than 16, five counts of aggravated sexual intercourse with a child older than 14 and younger than 16, intentionally sexually touching a child older than 10 and younger than 16, and the three child abuse material production charges.
During the sentence hearing, Baldwin-Davies’s lawyer told the court his client had very limited criminal history – and nothing involving sexual offending against children.
The offending took place over a short time frame and Baldwin-Davies had lived “close to a blameless life” until that point, the lawyer said.
The court heard Baldwin-Davies, an Indigenous man who has suffered trauma, worked as a panel installer before he was locked up.
The lawyer told the court Baldwin-Davies did not use violence beyond the sexual offending and there was “no real coercion”.
However, the prosecution argued there had been “cajoling” and “instructions to remove clothing and perform certain acts” by Baldwin-Davies.
The case has been adjourned for sentencing on to November 10.
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