Timothy Bryant fronts court over possession of child abuse material

A pervert busted with child abuse material claimed online hackers downloaded the vile images and videos on to his electronic devices.

Timothy Bryant has escaped a prison sentence for possessing more than 318,000 child abuse materials and videos.

A socially isolated Melbourne man busted with more than 318,000 depraved child abuse material images has escaped a prison sentence due to his severe depression and anxiety.

Timothy Bryant, 36, fronted the County Court for sentence on Thursday after earlier pleading guilty to one charge of possessing child abuse material where he received a three-year

community corrections order.

Judge Frances Hogan said Bryant admitted possessing child abuse material when police went to his Melbourne home where he lived with his mother on February 11, 2021.

Investigators discovered more than 318,000 child abuse images and 2504 videos on his mobile phones and a desktop that ranged from two seconds to three hours.

Some of the images and videos were that of real children as young as four or five and appeared to be crying or were in pain, Judge Hogan said.

Timothy Bryant blamed online hackers for downloading vile child abuse material on his electronic devices.

Bryant suggested that his wi-fi and mobile phones may have been hacked or the child abuse materials were on the computer from its previous owner. He also suggested that the material came from network sharing.

He repeated his claims during an interview at the Bayside police station in January 2022.

Bryant said he built his own server and gave friends online access to watch movies or series and after he discovered child abuse material on his electronic devices, he tried to delete them and even reported it to the authorities.

However, Judge Hogan said there was no record of reports made to the Australian Federal Police or to other agencies.

“You possessed a large number of videos and images which depicted real children who’ve been degraded and exploited in a morally-repugnant manner,” She said.

Bryant gave an indication to plead guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in July 2023 but the prosecution successfully applied to have the case transferred to County Court.

Despite the large number of child abuse material, Judge Hogan said she was satisfied that a prison sentence would exacerbate bryant’s complex psychological issues including depression and anxiety.