Missaka Senarath fronts court over child abuse material
A bankrupted Victorian was willing to splash out on nude photos and videos of impoverished children abroad and even travelled to Philippines where he sexuallyassaulted a child.
Melbourne City
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A grub who pursued children living in an impoverished state in the Philippines for a pittance and even travelled to that country for sexual encounters with them has been jailed for nearly 14 years.
Missaka Senarath’s offending came to light during a baggage examination and seizure of his mobile phone that contained child abuse images and videos at Melbourne l Airport on September 23, 2022 upon his return from the Philippines.
The father of two from Victoria was sentenced in the County Court on Tuesday to 13 years and eight months, and has to serve nine years and six months before he’s eligible for parole.
He pleaded guilty in July last year to nine charges of grooming a person under 16 for sex outside Australia, two of soliciting child abuse material, and single charges of persistent sexual abuse of a child outside Australia and possessing or controlling child abuse material.
Judge Anne Hassan said Senarath’s offending spanned about two-and-a-half years between May 2020 and September 2021 during which he persistently asked for nude photos and videos and arranged to meet with children on his trip to the Philippines.
“You pursued children who were under 12 years of age and you offered financial incentive to purported adults who had care of the children,” she said.
Judge Hassan said Senarath communicated with 21 internet users and on 11 occasions, children between the ages of one year and eight months and 12 years in the Philippines were on offer.
Police discovered at least 697 images and 754 videos of child abuse material across four electronic devices, plus upskirting videos he took of an 11-year-old girl in Victoria.
He offered to buy a pair of underwear from an online user in the Philippines who she had only just turned 17 and reiterated that he was interested in her younger friends. Senarath told her the younger the better and that the rewards got higher.
He offered between 300 Peso (A$7) and 30,000 Peso (A775) for nude images and videos of children to various adults who purported to either be their mother or caregiver.
Senarath travelled to the Philippines in September 2022 and sexually penetrated a pre-pubescent child twice and also performed oral sex on her.
He told the court he was under a lot of stress after being made bankrupt and lost his family home through non payment of mortgage prior to the offending.
Senarath told investigators he hasn’t harmed or forced anyone during his offending but admitted he may have watched things that he shouldn’t have by law.
Born in Sri Lanka and despite having an Australian permanent residency, Judge Hassan said Senarath was likely to be deported after serving his sentence.
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