Joshua Perestrelo: Sydney rugby league coach sentenced on child sex charges

A Sydney rugby league coach has avoided jail after sending sexual messages to players as young as 13.

A Sydney rugby league coach has avoided jail after sending sexually explicit messages over social media to players aged as young as 13.

Joshua Perestrelo, 27, was sentenced in the District Court on Wednesday to an aggregate term of two years prison to be served in the community.

District Court Judge John North told the former volunteer coach he would have to be of good behaviour for three years.

Former junior rugby league coach Joshua Daniel Perestrelo (right) leaving court on Wednesday. Picture: Gaye Gerard

“This will hang over your head for three years. It would be very wrong for you to think this is just a bond,” Judge North said.

Judge North said the former Christian Brothers’ High School student would be sent straight to prison if he reoffended.

In April 2019, Perestrelo sent a series of sexually explicit messages to four boys in their early teens who he coached.

Agreed facts state Child 1, what he legally has to be refereed to, deleted his Instagram account because he became so uncomfortable with his coaches advances.

Joshua Daniel Perestrelo (left).

He privately messaged him asking about masturbation and porn after Child 1 sent a picture of a semi-nude woman to the team’s group chat.

After Child 1 stopped responding, Perestrelo said: “Chill man if convo is too much just say ha ha … you’re still new to it. You’ll get there eventually”.

In another conversation, Perestrelo messaged Child 2 about masturbation and having a threesome.

“I’d put a chick on the spit with a mate for sure,” Perestrelo said in agreed facts read to court.

Child 2 responded he “was scared to see a mate’s dick”.

He asked Child 3 about the size of his penis and also asked: “Do you bat (masturbate) in the shower?”

Child 3 sent a video.

Judge North read to the court Perestrelo taunt in response: “Ha ha ha anyone can just move their arm and make them look like it. Your arm aint anywhere near your cock. You’re just doing the action, you’re not even wanking”.

Perestrelo asked Child 3 whether he was “cut or uncut”, and tried to get him to send nude images he received from a girl.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of using carriage service to send indecent material and using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material.

The latter charge holds a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment.

The court heard Perestrelo told a psychiatrist he was “not just interested in younger guys” but agreed sexual gratification had been his primary motivation.

Test results showed Perestrelo was deemed a “high risk” to reoffend but a psychiatrist said this would be mitigated with regular counselling and rehab, the court heard.

Judge North said Perestrelo’s conduct was a “serious intrusion into the private lives of young teenage boys”.

“He was trusted by those connected to the rugby league club. Crimes such as this are increasingly prevalent in the community … general deterrence remains of importance.”

But he conceded the offending was on the lower end of the scale.

Judge North took into account Perestrelo’s prior good character, genuine remorse, that he had not tried to mask his identity and he never tried to meet up sexually with the victims.

Crown prosecutor John Song had told the court a term of immediate imprisonment was “appropriate and expected” for child sex offences.

But Judge North said if Perestrelo saw a sex offender psychiatrist and took medication he was confident he would be of a low risk of reoffending.

He was ordered to pay $500.

See more from court reporter Carla Hildebrandt.