Child abuser Robert Thompson busted with Harry Potter-themed child abuse material

Harry Potter-themed child abuse material was found in a Gippsland man’s home after he was charged with sexually abusing a five-year-old.

Police discovered Harry Potter-themed child abuse material at a Gippsland man’s home after he was charged with sexually abusing a five-year-old, a court has heard.

Robert Thompson, 51, pleaded guilty in the County Court on Wednesday to charges involving persistent sexual abuse of a child under 16, possessing child abuse material and possessing cannabis.

The court heard Thompson had 5979 files stored on a mobile phone, a USB and a PC that showed children exposing their genitalia and engaging in sickening acts.

Child actresses from the Harry Potter movie franchise were digitally altered to be naked with only socks on or lifting their skirts.

Around 5877 of the files were of children 13 to 18 years old, while 102 were of children under the age of 13.

On one occasion the fiend deliberately watched abuse whilst in the company of a young girl who he abused from the age of five to eight.

He also tried to blame the child for his actions, claiming the way she dressed meant it was “partly her fault”

“(She) commonly got around without any undies on and in short dresses and things, and so would be displayed at various points in time, and after noticing that (I) didn’t mind seeing, she didn’t mind showing, but that’s partly her fault,” he said during a police interview.

In a phone call, Thompson apologised for the abuse he inflicted on the little girl.

“You had no reason to touch me or do that disgusting stuff to me,” she said.

“I’m so sorry - I suddenly understood when you were eight, and I stopped, I did my best to stop,” Thompson said.

His victim said she didn’t know what was happening and he “took advantage” of her.

A victim impact statement revealed the ongoing effects the abuse had on the victim’s life.

“When the crime first happened I felt weird, I didn’t know what happened and couldn’t understand,” she said.

“I hesitate to take my clothes off to change them or to shower because I feel unsafe.”

She said he stole her childhood and took her dignity.

At the time of the hearing Thompson had served 388 days of pre-sentence detention and will be sentenced on June 9.