Mark Dilrukshan Coad jailed for trying to get sex from teen girl with pills

A meth addict selling vile images for drug money in the “underworld” tried to get sex from a 15-year-old girl – but had no idea cops were tracking her.

A meth-head caught cowering behind his hotel room curtains by police has been lashed by a judge for trying to get sex from a 15-year-old girl under state care in exchange for Xanax.

On Monday, Mark Dilrukshan Coad, 33, was jailed in the District Court, which heard he’d been a 12-year meth-addict when he developed a relationship with the teenage girl in a “gross power imbalance”.

He had previously pleaded guilty to ten different child exploitation offences, including dissemination, possession and procuring a child for sexual activity.

Judge Anthony Allen noted when Coad, of Mitchell Park, was arrested by police – who found him hiding behind the curtains of his Stamford Grand Hotel room in Glenelg – they unearthed “thousands” of pornographic images on his mobile phone, including videos of bestiality.

“It is readily apparent that there was a gross power imbalance between yourself and the child you were communicating with,” Judge Allen said. “It would appear the sexualised communications took place in connection with the child victim seeking to score drugs from you.

“It is clear that you were communicating with the victim in the hope of getting her to exchange sexual favours to you, for drugs.”

Coad was sentenced in the District Court on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

The court heard police tracked the missing girl to Coad’s car because she was wearing a home detention ankle monitor.

When questioned, she told police about her commutation with Coad, and they arrested him when they saw her leaving his hotel room.

Judge Allen said Coad had also been swapping child abuse material on an app to fund his drug habit and for living expenses within the “pedophilic underworld”, asking them vile questions or for repugnant images.

“You were actively participating and contributing to the market of child exploitation material,” Judge Allen said. “The exchanges that you had with other online users were plainly repugnant and gravely explicit.”

In December last year, Coad told the court he wasn’t attracted to children, and sold child exploitation material only to fund his drug addiction – which was dismissed by Judge Allen.

“If you’ve got child exploitation material, and you have a sexual interest in children, you don’t have to be a genius to work out why someone might have it,” he said.

On Monday, Judge Allen noted Coad was “remorseful and deeply embarrassed”, but highlighted the gravity of his communications with the teenage girl.

“You asked whether or not she’d be keen on a ‘cheeky car f**k’,” he said. “You also asked on a number of occasions for the victim to send you pictures and videos.”

Judge Allen sentenced Coad to six years’ jail with a non-parole period of four years, nine months and 19 days.

Originally published as Mark Dilrukshan Coad jailed for trying to get sex from teen girl with pills