Gippsland Lang Lang dad Dale Cranston pleads guilty to transmit and solicit child abuse material

A deviant Gippsland soccer club president allegedly copped vigilante attacks after he targeted a 14-year-old Gold Coast girl.

Dale Cranston pleaded guilty soliciting child abuse material. Facebook.

A former Gippsland soccer club president has been barred from attending junior sporting events after he offered to show a purported 14-year-old girl his “sausage”.

Dale Cranston, 38, was sentenced at the County Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to transmit and solicit child abuse material charges.

Cranston, under the handle ‘fantasyfiller’, initiated contact with who he believed was a 14-year old girl from the Gold Coast.

Cranston messaged the target via new pedo hunting ground ChatIW on February 23 this year.

The fiend was actually communicating with a covert Queensland cop posing as a child to snare sex offenders like Cranston.

The cop told Cranston she was 14 before he messaged his target with lewd communication.

Cranston told the cop he was “naked” performing a lewd act and asked the target if she wanted to hear him.

Cranston asked for the target’s mobile and messaged her “I need u to say hi daddy” when he called her.

Cranston pleaded guilty to transmitting child abuse material.

The deviant dad spoke to the undercover cop who he still believed was a 14-year-old girl via a mobile phone.

“Hi, baby, how are you? Will you (perform a lewd act),” Cranston said.

“It feels so good yeah, you liked that, didn’t you.”

Cranston then moved his offending to Snapchat.

“Show me a pic of u,” Cranston said.

“Show me u and I’ll show u what I’m doing.”

The cop refused so Cranston responded “ok bye”.

“It’s just a pic of ur face, It’s that simple,” he said.

“Well u can’t follow instructions so I can’t trust u … U do as I ask then I’ll send.”

The covert cop then sent a photograph of a “face of a young female” which the investigator purported was the 14--year-old Gold Coast schoolgirl.

Cranston saw the photo and asked the cop does she “want a sausage” before sending an image of his erect penis.

“U can’t show anyone tho ok,” Cranston said.

Cranston was president of Lang Lang United soccer club.

Cranston also asked the target where she was so the cop replied she was downstairs at her “house”.

“Ok quickly go to ur room and take a pic of ur tits for me,” he demanded.

The cop refused and communications between Cranston and the target ceased

Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team investigators raided and arrested Cranston at his Lang Lang home which he shared with his wife and children on March 15.

Cranston, who has no priors, told police he was “probably jerking on the toilet” when he spoke to the covert cop on the phone.

Angus Cameron, for Cranston, told the court his client was the former president of Lang Lang United soccer club.

Cranston also played cricket.

The court heard Cranston, who retained the support of his wife, disclosed his offending to family and friends but his business suffered after his offending was exposed.

Cranston is also a woodwork enthusiast working on a new business venture and has previously been a sponsor, coach and president at various local sporting clubs.

Cranston is now unable to attend his children’s and other junior sports events, the court was told.

The defence submitted Cranston was allegedly targeted by vigilantes who sprayed graffiti on his Gippsland home.

Cranston was convicted, handed a 20-month community correction order and made a registered sex offender for eight years.