Jeremiah Wray pleads guilty to possessing and distributing child abuse material and sexual assault at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court

A grub Lilydale father fantasised about “kidnapping, raping, beating and degrading” people and searched online for sickening child abuse material.

Jeremiah Wray pleads guilty to possessing and distributing child abuse material and sexual assault at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court

A young Lilydale father has been busted a with a vile stash of child abuse material admitted he “ always pushed the boundaries of the internet” and “looked at things he shouldn’t”.

Jeremiah Wray, 22, pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child abuse material, intimate images and sexual assault on Monday at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, where he was supported by his partner and mother of his child.

In 2023, Wray recorded two videos that showed him touching his victim and sent them to another person to “turn them on”.

Police then conducted a search warrant at Wray’s house and seized his phones and iPad.

Police found more than 83 images, including sexual themes of children under 14 years old, and 67 videos, depicting children having sex with adult men.

When asked about the Snapchat video, Wray said, “he was not thinking at the time”.

Wray said he was “very good with technology and has always pushed the boundaries of the internet and apps and looked at things he shouldn’t” and that he was “a curious person, likes to deep dive and explore different things”.

Investigators found Wray was part of multiple group chats on Telegram that shared “child pornography, bestiality, red room and murder content” where he was pretending to be a 14-year-old girl named “Jessica Wray”.

Wray claimed he was in those groups to “collect evidence” and report people, but he never lodged any complaints.

Police also found written child abuse material stories in his notes, which other people wrote after Wray asked them to write sexual fantasies about his fake 14-year-old girl identity.

He again claimed he did it as “evidence” but never reported it to the authorities or got the username.

The written stories on his phone contained disturbing graphic descriptions of sexual abuse of a child with rape, incest and underage sexual themes.

Another written story included Wray’s fantasies of kidnapping, raping, beating and degrading people and “letting his friends rape and cut them”.

Police also found internet searches for “cute girls, babies: Porn cartoons and hentai videos” on Wray’s phone.

On Monday, the court heard Wray, whose son was born in February this year, was restricted from being in the same room as the baby or taking any photos.

Wray’s lawyer told the court her client had experienced homelessness and had “plenty of time to reflect upon the offending” and his future.

The lawyer said Wray was “wanting to better himself”.

“(He wants to do better) not just because of this offending, but also because he’s well aware (of his actions) now that he has a young boy he’s raising,” she said.

“He needs to ensure he’s never before the court and he’s also an appropriate parent for his son.”

Magistrate Rosemary Falla said she “hoped” becoming a parent had helped Wray bring into “sharp focus” how “appalling” his behaviour was.

“Parents go through to the nth degree to protect their children from exploitation, from harm, and you don’t need to be a parent to appreciate that,” she said.

Ms Falla said Wray’s offending was “incredibly serious” and he would have faced jail if he had not pleaded guilty.

“(You talked) about your curiosity with respect to the dark web — all I can indicate to you there is I would urge you with the most strongest terms not to be exploring what else might be out there, because you will very quickly find yourself in custody,” she said.

“There is a lot (on the dark web) that should not be accessed by anyone.”

Wray was sentenced to a two-year community corrections order and will undertake 180 hours of unpaid community work.

He was also listed on the registered sex offenders list and will undergo several mental health programs.