Romen Vargas: Berkeley man jailed over horrific stash of child abuse material

A man has been jailed for at least a decade after his wife uncovered thousands of depraved child abuse images from the Dark Web on his computer.

An Illawarra man who downloaded hundreds of thousands of child abuse images and videos from the Dark Web has been jailed for at least 10 years after his wife uncovered his perverted stash.

Romen Vargas faced the NSW District Court from a cell at Parklea prison on Friday, where Judge Andrew Haesler jailed him for 14 years, with a non-parole period of 10 years, after his wife of several years made a horrifying discovery on his computer last year.

On Friday, the court heard his wife was using his computer last June when she found photos of young girls in his trash folder.

Romen Vargas has been jailed for at least 10 years after his wife uncovered child abuse material on his computer. Picture: Facebook

She followed the file path, and made a shocking discovery - thousands of photos of young girls sorted into different folders.

She reported her husband to police, who subsequently raided their Berkeley home and seized several devices.

Police uncovered thousands of depraved images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, which the court heard Vargas used for his own sexual gratification.

On a USB found at his home, police uncovered a disturbing 170-page “manual” titled how to “How to Practice Child Love”, which described sick acts of child sex abuse, as well as fictional stories about having sex with children.

“While some of the material was fictional or fantasy and did not involve real children, what was being described involved children or methodology for abusing children,” Judge Haesler said.

“This is a particularly egregious example of that.”

In recounting the evidence provided to the court, Judge Haesler said Vargas made admissions to police about the material, saying he downloaded large amounts of it for “later viewing”.

Judge Haesler said that while Vargas’s offending wasn’t sophisticated and was easily found by his wife, it was clear he had been viewing child abuse material for “many years” prior to his wife’s discovery.

He will be eligible for release to parole in 2030. Picture: Facebook

Both the defence and Crown agreed Vargas had “some insight” into his offending and needed psychological treatment.

While Vargas pleaded guilty to 12 offences related to the possession and transmission of child abuse material, Judge Haesler said it was clear in assessments made by a psychologist Vargas made “minimisations and justifications” about his crimes.

“I do not undervalue the lived experience of people in prisons, they are violent, crowded and not conducive to rehabilitation but he leaves me no option,” Judge Haelser said.

In handing Vargas his decade-long sentence, Judge Haesler made clear Vargas had lost everything, from his family to his reputation.

“He put his own interests above everyone else but ultimately he self-destructed and injured so many others,” he said.

“He has lost his reputation and family, and in doing so, offended against many, and he must be punished for what he did,”

With time served, Vargas will be eligible for release to parole in 2030.