Landscape architect creep Tech Ooi jailed for grooming girl for sex via Snapchat, child porn
A prominent Melbourne landscape architect who worked on big projects for the State Government, Melbourne Uni and several councils including Port Phillip has been exposed as a vile paedophile who groomed an 11-year-old schoolgirl via Snapchat.
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A Melbourne landscape architect who groomed an 11-year-old schoolgirl for sex via Snapchat has been jailed.
Tech Ooi, 32, was sentenced in the County Court on Thursday to a minimum 18 months’ jail after pleading guilty multiple child sex offences.
Ooi met his victim via social media site ‘IMVU’ — an online gaming platform popular with children and teenagers — in late-2018.
Ooi then communicated with the girl via Snapchat and Google hangouts.
The court heard Ooi swapped messages, GIFs and gaming related images with his victim.
Ooi, of Carlton, then sent messages of an “explicit sexual nature”, and lewd images and videos.
He also told his victim to commit lewd acts.
The court heard the victim, from the US state of Florida, was not aware of Ooi’s true age but he knew hers.
He asked her about school and told the victim he thought of his “baby girl of course” while committing a lewd act.
Ooi, whose offending occurred between December 2018 and January 2019, wasn’t found out until his victim’s mother found material on the girls’s phone and alerted US authorities.
Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team officers raided Ooi’s Cardigan St home in November 2019 after the United States Department of Homeland Security tipped-off local authorities.
Investigators seized Ooi’s phone, a hard drive and a desktop stand which together contained 389 vile child abuse images and videos including some material classified as bestiality, sadism, hentai or animation.
In her victim impact statement, the girl said she had been happy but was now “withdrawn”.
“I did not care because he made me think everything was real,” the victim said.
“It scares me half to death (thinking about the offending).”
The victim’s mother said she blamed herself for her “little girl’s childhood being taken away”.
The court heard Ooi’s boss provided a reference but wasn’t aware of the offending.
Ooi’s lawyer said his client was an “interesting fellow” who has “literally been building Melbourne”.
The court heard Ooi came to Australia to study at RMIT where he completed a bachelor and masters in landscape architecture.
Ooi then worked on projects for the State Government, Melbourne University and several councils including Port Phillip, Moonee Valley and Wyndham.
Ooi, via his lawyer at last month’s plea hearing, said the offending was “fantasy play” to him.
“Seems a bit more than fantasy,” Judge Michael McInerney said.
“It seems to be, unfortunately for him, a sexual outlet or sexual satisfaction …
“Clearly he’s got an obsession with child pornography.”
Ooi’s lawyer also submitted the “precocious” victim was “advanced in her commentary”.
“That’s not going to help him,” Judge McInerney said
Ooi, who pleaded guilty to procuring a child to engage in sexual activity outside Australia and other offences, was jailed for a maximum three years and eight months.
He was made a registered sex offender for life.
Ooi, a Malaysian citizen and permanent resident of Australia, is a “very strong chance” of being deported once his sentence has been served.
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