Craig Beaton: child abuse material, swords found at Menai home

A man came to the attention of cops after buying a schoolgirl sex doll online. But on raiding his home officers soon found the doll was the mere tip of the iceberg.

A man who bought a petite sex doll dressed in a school uniform online was subsequently busted with dozens of swords and hundreds of child abuse images when police raided his home.

A court heard Menai man Craig Beaton, 38, caught detectives’ attention when he bought the schoolgirl sex doll online in December last year.

When police subsequently raided the address he then shared with his brother Mark, they also found more than 500 child abuse images spread across two computers and an external hard drive, 29 swords in a backyard cubby house and a trench knife.

Beaton was subsequently charged with three counts of child abuse material possession and two counts of prohibited weapon possession.

He was not charged in relation to the sex doll.

Craig Beaton at Sutherland Local Court.

Beaton’s Legal Aid solicitor Peter Guirguis told the court the Category 2 child abuse material included pictures of naked boys and girls aged between five and 15.

“The issues seem to have their genesis in his alcohol use, and he says ‘I get drunk and do stupid things’,” Mr Guirguis told Magistrate Joy Boulos at Sutherland Local Court.

“He would consume between two and four cases of beer per week, though since January 2021 he reports to Community Corrections and to me that he has not consumed any alcohol.”

Ms Boulos accepted Beaton was remorseful but expressed her view he would require specialised intervention beyond addressing his alcohol issues.

“There were actual child victims involved in this material,” Ms Boulos said.

“It appears to me that he attributes a lot of his offending to his alcohol usage at the time and he seems to excuse or justify the offending because of his alcohol usage.”

Craig Beaton at Sutherland Local Court.

Ms Boulos convicted Beaton and sentenced him to two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment with an 18-month non-parole period for the child abuse material and sword possession.

He also received a two-year community corrections order for possessing the knife.

Police prosecutor George Lolas told the court the child abuse material did not constitute a victimless crime.

“It is the actions of people like the accused that facilitate demand for the production of this material,” Sgt Lolas told the court.

“It wasn’t just one device, there were two computers and the third storage device – it wasn’t necessarily a degree of sophistication but it’s not a novice act.”

Beaton’s brother Mark Beaton was also charged with five counts of child abuse material possession after the pair’s home was raided.

He has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced at Sutherland Local Court on June 10.