John Nils Alexander Kenny: Ex Randwick councillor facing child sex charges
A former Randwick councillor is behind bars after police allegedly found child abuse material on a tablet he owned at his Hillsdale home in February.
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An ex-Randwick councillor and Liberal staffer is facing a string of child sex charges after police allegedly discovered naked pictures of a young girl on his phone.
John Nils Alexander Kenny was arrested in February and has been hit with 11 charges including one count of possessing child abuse material and two counts of grooming a child under 14 for sexual activity.
Police allegations contained in court documents claim “multiple images” depicting a girl aged between 14 and 16 in sexual poses were found on his Samsung phone.
The Hillsdale man, 49, also faces eight counts of failing to comply with his reporting obligations under the Child Protection Act of 2000 by downloading several social media applications and contacting a child.
Court documents allege Kenny had used apps including Snapchat, Skout, Line, Kik Messenger, Meet Me, WeChat and Skype between December 26, 2019 and February 27, 2020.
He appeared briefly before Central Local Court on Tuesday from custody at Parklea Correctional Centre.
The court heard he was seeking to be moved to Long Bay Correctional Centre for health reasons, as he had been receiving eye injections at Prince of Wales Hospital to stave off developing blindness.
Magistrate Robert Williams ordered Kenny to undergo a Justice Health Assessment and adjourned the matter to May 26.
The former Liberal politician was elected to Randwick Council in 2004 but was asked to stand down in 2006.
He also formerly worked as a staffer in the office of ex-Wentworth federal Liberal MP Peter King in 2003.