Sex-fiend farmer Aaron Bradley jailed for grooming underage girls via Facebook, Snapchat
A sex-fiend Ararat-based farmer who groomed underage girls — including an intellectually disabled victim – for sexual activity via social media committed one final vile act in an astonishing bid to get himself out of trouble.
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A deviant farmer who groomed underage girls for sex via social media told police his ex-partner was responsible for the lewd conduct, a court has heard.
Aaron Bradley was sentenced in the County Court last month to a minimum two years’ jail after pleading guilty to charges including five counts of grooming an underage person for sexual activity.
Bradley, 27 at the time, targeted 11 victims — including two undercover cops — between February and July last year.
The Ararat-based farmhand used four Facebook Messenger accounts and a Snapchat account to send his victims lewd messages and images.
Bradley demanded his young victims — including a 13-year-old girl and an intellectual disabled victim — send him lewd images and videos.
He big-noted himself to victims by claiming he owned six farms and a plane while also boasting about the size of his genitalia.
Bradley interrogated his victims about their sexual experiences and asked them if they wanted to have a threesome because they “will love it”.
He asked his victims if they were virgins and told them “there is only one way to learn”.
Bradley abused his victims after they didn’t do what he wanted.
He encouraged one victim to commit suicide after she threatened to kill herself.
Bradley told another victim he was in the “German Mafia” and he was going to shoot her boyfriend and kill her family.
Bradley’s offending ended when an undercover Queensland cop reported him to Victoria Police.
Bradley, who was arrested in July 2019, denied sending any lewd messages.
Instead he told police his ex-partner was in control of his social media accounts.
Investigators later discovered multiple lewd chat logs on Bradley’s phone.
Bradley, who was convicted in 2013 for a similar offence, claimed he didn’t know what he was doing was wrong
He claimed he messaged the victims in an attempt to make friends but later blamed alcohol on the offending.
Judge Rosemary Carlin said Bradley had not shown any remorse.
“You targeted 11 individuals … for your own sexual gratification,” she said.
“Your conduct was predatory, premeditated and potentially corrupting, it was also sexually and emotionally exploitative.
“You used salacious, graphic and offensive language, you sent and encouraged the sending of sexually explicit images and promoted sexual activity and sexual encounters.
“You ingratiated yourself with your victims and manipulated their emotions by lying about your age, your wealth and your feelings for them.
“When things did not go your way you resorted to insults, threats and cruelty.”
Bradley, a father, was jailed for a maximum 45 months and made a registered sex offender for life.
He had spent 330 days in custody at the time of sentencing.
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