Registered sex offender Kyal Fraser charged over contact with children at Adventure Park and Gumbuya World Theme Park

A convicted child sex offender has been released on bail after police allegedly caught him “befriending” little girls at water theme parks and setting up multiple dating app profiles.

Police allegedly busted registered sex offender Kyle Fraser with child abuse material.

A registered sex offender has been released back into the Bendigo community after police allegedly caught him “befriending” little girls at water theme parks and setting up multiple dating app profiles.

A registered sex offender has been released back into the Bendigo community after police allegedly caught him “befriending” little girls at water theme parks and setting up multiple dating app profiles.

Returning to court on Tuesday, police submitted they were unable to locate any further child abuse material after spending 24 hours analysing more than 10,000 images found among the 16 devices and multiple Google drives seized from the home of Kyal Fraser.

Police had alleged on Monday they had found a device that included an image of a newborn baby and a 10-year-old child being “sexually exploited”.

The defence argued the 32-year-old should be let back out into the community because police couldn’t prove he was hoarding child abuse material.

Police allegedly found further breaches of the Sex Offender Registration Act, including a membership Fraser bought for Golden Square Pool and several profiles on the dating app Hinge.

The prosecution said the investigation was still in its infancy, and sex crimes investigators could still uncover material and lay further charges.

Fraser’s Legal Aid lawyer argued if he was refused bail, he would be kept in custody for months without police having evidence of further child abuse material.

Instead, they suggested, he should be released on CISP bail and placed in the ARC list, which means he would be subject to court imposed therapeutic programs and supports designed to divert offenders away from prison and reoffending.

Fraser’s four days in custody had given him an “improved understanding of his reporting obligations”, his lawyer said, and he had NDIS supports in place to help him which should reduce his risk to the safety of others if he was released into the community.

Magistrate Trieu Huynh said the allegations were “serious offences” but released the convicted sex offender back into the community.

Mr Huynh said it was not a forgone conclusion Fraser would be sentenced to a term of imprisonment, with the evidence the police currently had, but that could change if further child abuse material was uncovered.

While on bail, Fraser has been ordered to not to attend amusement or theme parks, or any places families take children for entertainment.

He is also limited to using one device to access NDIS support and is prohibited from using social media.

Dating sites were not specifically prohibited.

Monday, April 7

A registered sex offender’s trips to water theme parks where he allegedly “befriended” little girls led to a police raid that uncovered banned movies and child abuse material.

Kyal Fraser, 32, applied for bail in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with multiple breaches of the Sex Offenders Registration Act.

Police alleged in court Fraser attended Adventure Park in Wallington, Geelong on March 25 where they said he “befriended” a 12-year-old girl and her father, going on several rides with them.

He then went to Gumbuya World Theme Park in Tynong North where he allegedly “befriended” a 10-year-old girl and her brother.

The little girl was “scared” to go on the ride so he offered to go on with them, the court was told.

The court heard Fraser had also purchased a yearly pass to Luna Park and had intended to attend over the weekend of April 5 and 6 but was arrested on Friday, April 4.

A police raid on his Bendigo home allegedly revealed “quite a few Google drives” and 16 electronic devices, one of which allegedly contained an image of a “new born” baby and a 10-year-old child being “sexually exploited”.

Police allegedly busted registered sex offender Kyal Fraser with child abuse material.

He was also caught with the full movie of A Serbian Film, a pedophilic and necrophilic snuff film “that is banned in Australia”.

Police were still analysing the seized devices for more child abuse material with more than 10,000 images on one hard drive.

The court heard the sex offender had a criminal history including convictions for grooming a child under 16 into producing child abuse material, threatening to distribute intimate images and threats to kill.

His Legal Aid lawyer said Fraser’s intellectual disability made it hard for him to understand how to comply with sex offender registry conditions and due to his cognitive issues, he could be sentenced to a community order if he was placed in the ARC list.

Magistrate Trieu Huynh said he would adjourn the bail application to 2pm Tuesday so police could further analyse the severity of the suspected child abuse material on the seized devices.

Fraser would also be assessed for CISP bail, the court heard.