Yaapeet farmer Joshua McDonald pleads guilty to sex crimes, soliciting child abuse material

A Victorian cattle farmer who preyed on multiple underage girls told a victim she’d know “what pain is” if she didn’t obey orders.

Joshua McDonald pleaded guilty to soliciting child abuse material.

A Victorian cattle farmer who groomed multiple underage girls including threatening to physically harm a victim if she didn’t send him explicit photos has avoided a jail term.

Joshua McDonald, 22, was sentenced in the County Court on Thursday to a 42-month community correction order after pleading guilty to charges including soliciting child abuse material.

McDonald, of Yaapeet, was 20 when he committed the crimes against multiple girls aged under 16 between September 2019 and January last year.

McDonald repeatedly called and texted a 14-year-old girl, asking her to have sex with him and send him explicit photos.

He called her a “sl*t” for having already had sex, telling her she only wasn’t one if she had sex with him.

McDonald further told the girl he would expose her as a “hoe” if she didn’t send him nude photos, threatening her harm when she refused.

“You do have to, and don’t forget I know where you are,” McDonald told her.

“Keep going like this and you’ll find out what pain is.”

McDonald also groomed a series of girls via Snapchat, claiming he was 15, which he later told police he did to make the girls feel more comfortable talking to him.

McDonald, who also pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to procure an underage person, sent some girls photos of his penis and asked them to send vile photos and videos.

He asked a 13-year-old Queensland girl to video herself moaning and performing sex acts with objects and discussed meeting her to have sex.

McDonald offered to pay for her flights to Victoria and said he would fly to Queensland.

He became aggressive and abusive to several girls, telling a girl who claimed she was only 12 that he wouldn’t stop messaging her until she sent him explicit photos.

The court heard he had an intellectual disability and was extremely immature for his age.

A psychologist submitted he needed ongoing mental health treatment and would be at a greater risk of being bullied in prison than the average person.

The court was told McDonald had been bullied at school for being a virgin.

Judge George Georgiou took into account McDonald’s disability when sentencing.

McDonald must also perform 180 hours of unpaid community work.

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