Gippsland man Harry Smith faces Sale Magistrates’ Court for failing to comply with reporting obligations and possessing cannabis

Police raided a registered sex offender’s home in Gippsland and discovered he had been talking to an underage girl on Facebook and Snapchat for about six months.

Harry Smith pleaded guilty at the Sale Magistrates’ Court to failing to comply with reporting obligations and possessing cannabis.

A registered Victorian sex offender has been busted sending messages to a girl under the age of 18 on social media.

Harry Smith, 24, of Sale, pleaded guilty at the Sale Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to failing to comply with reporting obligations and possessing cannabis, while two other charges were struck out.

On one occasion, police searched Smith’s home, seized his phone and discovered he had started talking to an underage girl over video chat on Facebook Messenger and sent her Snapchat messages between January 1 and May 1 last year.

Police also found almost 3g of cannabis.

The court heard Smith was placed on the sex offenders registry prior to the offending and had not notified the registry of his contact with the girl.

The court heard Smith contacted an underage girl on Facebook Messenger and Snapchat. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

Smith was arrested and taken to the Sale police station, where he told officers he understood the notice of his reporting obligations, made admissions to the offending and said the cannabis was for “personal use”.

Smith’s defence lawyer told the court the girl his client was messaging was a friend he had “from the past” and “just engaged with her online”.

His lawyer said while Smith had priors, there had been no further offending and had changed his behaviour.

He added Smith had completed sexual offender treatment programs.

But Magistrate Andrew McKenna said it was “even more disturbing” Smith had completed the programs but still breached his reporting obligations.

Mr McKenna said there were “significant warning signs” in Smith’s history.

He convicted and fined Smith $1640 on the failing to comply with reporting obligations charge and $200 for the cannabis charge.