Blacktown man Brendan Cregan pleads guilty to soliciting child abuse material

A western Sydney man fostered a “relationship of trust” with a teenage girl who looked up to him, in order to convince her to send him naked photos of herself.

Offender Brendan Cregan. Picture: Facebook

A western Sydney man convinced a “particularly vulnerable” teenage girl to send him naked photos by making himself out to be an older male she could trust, a court has heard.

Blacktown man Brendan Leonard Cregan, 37, faced Penrith District Court on Wednesday after previously pleading guilty to using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material, using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material to himself, and using a carriage service to send indecent material to person under the age of 16.

The victim was a “particularly vulnerable” teenage girl who had confided in Cregan about her prior negative experiences with men, which had led her to suffer “emotionally instability”, the court heard.

On a number of occasions, across a three-month period, Cregan “fostered or capitalised on a relationship of trust” with the victim, who said she looked up to him.

Cregan is set to return to Penrith District Court on November 4.

Agreed facts tendered to the court reveal Cregan’s efforts to keep the interactions secret, with one message reading: “Don’t save it, cause your mum will find out.”

“It’s just for me, I won’t show anyone,” another message read.

The prosecution said Cregan’s persistent interactions with the girl were aggravated by the fact he was aware of her vulnerabilities.

“The child was in a position of vulnerability where she was not being cared for,” the prosecutor said.

“The Crown submits the offending is more serious because the child was particularly vulnerable to predation and he was aware of those vulnerabilities.

The victim suffered “emotional instability” as a result of prior experiences with men.

“His requests for the material were consistent and made on numerous occasions in the face of a child who was ambivalent or reluctant to provide him with the material.”

Upon his arrest, Cregan initially tried to deny his actions by shifting responsibility onto the child, telling police “she started it” by flirting with him, the court heard.

In a letter to the court, he explained his offending in the context of his drug use but did not take into account his “attraction to young, female children”, the court heard.

Cregan’s solicitor told the court there was no evidence of “violent or degrading language” in the messages, nor did the 37-year-old “offer inducements”, make threats or pretend to be a child.

Judge Miiko Kumar described Cregan’s prospects of rehabilitation as guarded and said the man, who had a prior criminal record, had limited insight into his offending.

Cregan will remain in custody and is set to return to court for sentencing on November 1.