Geelong residents caught preying on young children through child abuse material
More predators than ever are being nabbed with child abuse material, recent data suggests. Here are some of Geelong residents who’ve been caught.
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More people have been caught with child abuse material than ever before as convictions skyrocket across the state.
Police have asked parents to have a “brave conversation” with their children about protecting themselves from predators before it is too late, with recent figures suggesting an increase throughout Victoria.
Detectives from the Victorian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team said they received reports from at least 100 families about people who have coerced their children into sharing intimate images online.
Detective acting inspector Carla McIntyre urged parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents to talk to young children about the offending.
“Let them know how it happens, that it is frequently happening to children in Victoria – that it is not their fault, and it is absolutely nothing to feel embarrassed about,” Inspector McIntyre said.
“Ensure you create an environment where they feel they can come up to you so they can be supported appropriately.
“The psychological anguish this type of offending can have on young people can be really significant.”
Crime Statistics Agency data found convictions of sexual offences against children increased in the last decade, jumping from 937 in 2013 to 2081 in the year ending June 2022.
A number of Geelong residents were caught with child abuse material in the last year, including offenders who have directly asked young children or their relatives to send intimate images.
The material found in their possession ranged from exploitation imagery and videos with no sexual activity through to the penetration of a child, bestiality and solo sexual acts between children.
When handing down a sentence to Grovedale man Andrew O’Halloran in August last year – who asked a police officer posing as a young child for images – Judge Frank Gucciardo of the County Court said the behaviour was “repugnant”.
“The transmission of material … in form of conversation and text are undoubtedly deplorable,” Judge Gucciardo said.
During the sentencing of Northern Ireland native and Geelong resident Ben Hill, caught with child abuse material, prosecutor Sarah Thomas said there was no suggestion he was remorseful.
“There’s no evidence at all about Hill’s level of insight into it or understanding of its wrongdoing,” Ms Thomas said earlier this year.
Detective McIntyre warned parents offenders will often engage their young victims through social media sites.
Typically targeting teenage boys, offenders will send them what they suggest is an intimate image and ask for one in return.
Once they have these images, police said offenders will threaten to share them unless they receive money, gift cards or cryptocurrency.
Detective McIntyre told parents support was available.
“It doesn’t matter how small or insignificant you may think it is – something that may appear small could later prove vital in an investigation,” Detective McIntyre said.
Reporting and support services are available through the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), ThinkUKnow, NAPCAN, Brave Hearts and the eSafety Commissioner.
Ben Hill
A Northern Ireland citizen faced deportation after he was acquitted of sexually abusing a child in Geelong but pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material.
Following an investigation, Altona North man Ben Hill, 36, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one charge of possessing child abuse material in the Victorian County Court in October this year.
As part of the Geelong child sexual assault investigation, officers executed a search warrant in January 2017 and found 103 child abuse images, including 28 categorised as “adult/child penetration”.
A search of Hill’s laptop uncovered three Skype conversations with other users “discussing sleeping with them and their children, playing with their children on camera and requesting to see their children”.
Prosecutor Sarah Thomas questioned Hill’s lack of remorse, telling the court there was “no evidence at all about Hill’s level of insight into (the offending) or understanding of its wrongdoing”.
Robert Kanen
A self-described “sugar daddy” gifted children items and money in exchange for sexualised imagery and messaging across social media.
The Victorian County Court heard in April Geelong man Robert Kanen sent money and gifts like Calvin Klein underwear to four girls under 16 in exchange for sexualised imagery, videos and messages.
Kanen pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to procure sex with a child under 16, grooming a child under 16 for sexual activity using a postal service and causing child abuse material to be transmitted.
Defence lawyer Megan Casey said while three of the girls reached out to Kanen, “at the end of the day, they were children”.
“They shouldn’t have been asked to send these images. They are unsophisticated and perhaps naive about he conduct that they were engaging in. While they go in with their eyes open, they go in with the eyes of children … who perhaps do not understand the dangers.”
Andrew O’Halloran
A Grovedale man who described depraved sexual fantasies with children to an undercover police officer was jailed late last year.
Andrew O’Halloran was jailed for 24 months after pleading guilty to using a carriage service to transmit child pornography, possession of child abuse material and two charges of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material.
The County Court heard the now-38-year-old started talking to a woman named Tara through an online messaging service in 2019.
Tara, who was an undercover police officer using a false name, purported to have a young daughter named Princess.
O’Halloran started making inappropriate comments about the fictitious nine-year-old child.
Jamie Battle
A young Geelong man was exposed as a sex creep in July 2021 after a sting busted him trying to solicit nude images from an underage girl.
Jamie Battle was 19 when he used Snapchat to send a “d – k pic” to the teenager along with persistent requests for naked photos.
The County Court heard the Corio man had no idea he was actually talking to an undercover police officer.
Battle, now 21, pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material, an offence that carries up to 15 years in prison.
During the conversation, Battle lied about his age – claiming to be 15 – as he repeatedly asked for nude images from the girl.
Rodney Biggs
A St Leonards man who was busted grooming a 13-year-old girl online was sentenced in July last year.
Rodney Biggs appeared in the Geelong Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to engaging in sexually explicit conversations with a teenager over Facebook messenger more than three years ago.
The girl’s father alerted authorities after discovering several days’ worth of messages between the pair.
The court was told that after telling the girl she was “hot”, he at one stage said: “Damn babe, I love that you’re 13.”
During a raid of Biggs’ home, officers uncovered child abuse material on his mobile phone and two laptops.
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