Lee Anthony Smith fronts court for possessing child abuse material

A Keilor East man busted with more than half a million child abuse material across multiple devices claims he collected the vile images out of “curiosity”.

Lee Anthony Smith of Keilor East possessed more than 500,000 child abuse images and videos over nearly two years.

A “depraved” grub has been busted with more than half a million child abuse images and videos loaded onto 34 electronic devices.

Lee Anthony Smith fronted the County Court on Tuesday where he was jailed for three years and three months after pleading guilty to charges of accessing and possessing child abuse material.

Judge Robyn Harper said the sheer number of child abuse material the 49-year-old Smith from Keilor East possessed over one year and eight months was “quite astounding”.

The Victoria Police Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team was advised that child abuse material have been shared between May 2019 and January 2021 from a particular IP address that was connected to an account owned by Smith’s mother.

In March 2021, Smith arrived home while police were executing a warrant and he directed investigators to the electronic devices that contained child abuse material.

Lee Smith has gone to jail for possessing depraved child sex images and videos over multiple electronic devices.

Judge Harper said police seized 34 electronic devices including phones, tablets, cameras and hard drives that revealed 137 specific child-focused searches.

A total of 516,061 images and videos were stored across all devices and showed

children between the ages of two and 14 engaged in various penetrative and non-penetrative sexual acts.

Smith was interviewed in October 2021 and told police: “It was curiosity. I don’t know why it started and how.”

He said when police asked him about child pornography, he didn’t fully understand what was being said, and instead answered in relation to adult porn.

“I do not understand this proposition. You were not without cognitive limitations but you do not have an intellectual disability and you are able to carry out coherent conversation,” Judge Harper said.

“The nature and content of the material were depraved. You maintained you only looked at only 10 images. I find this an absurd suggestion, given you conducted in excess of 170 specific searches for child pornography material.

“You have no prior history but to access and possess such a large collection of child abuse material is alarming and reprehensible conduct which must be strongly denounced.”

Judge Harper said although Smith suffered from autism spectrum disorder and had some limitations on his cognitive functioning, they had no relation to his offending.

Smith must serve a minimum non-parole period of 22 months.