West Moonah man faces court for 85 charges relating to child abuse material
The lawyer representing a West Moonah man charged with 85 counts relating to child exploitation material has quickly changed a plea after a dispute over bail arrangements. The latest.
Tasmania
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A lawyer representing a West Moonah man charged with 85 counts relating to child exploitation material entered then swiftly withdrew a plea of guilty after a disagreement with the prosecution over bail.
Karan Kumar, 33, is charged with 66 counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child using a carriage service and 14 counts of producing child exploitation material.
He also faces two counts of using a carriage service for child abuse material, two counts of using a carriage service to procure persons under 16 years of age and one count of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service.
Court documents reveal that these charges relate to incidents from August 2018 to May 2023 occurring in or around Hobart and at a Moonah address.
One rolled-up charge of producing child exploitation material included an alleged 67 victims.
Mr Kumar faced the Hobart Magistrates Court on Tuesday alongside his defence counsel Cameron Scott before Magistrate Chris Webster.
Mr Scott said there was already a number of separate matters for Mr Kumar before the Supreme Court of Tasmania.
Mr Kumar pleaded guilty on all counts, with Magistrate Webster ordering Mr Kumar be bailed to appear in the Supreme Court for all matters to be heard together.
However, a Commonwealth prosecutor said they were opposed to bail being granted.
“A number of these matters fall under the Commonwealth Act and there is a presumption against bail being granted for these matters,” the prosecutor said.
“With respect to these charges, they’re a substantial number of charges; 64 offences which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years imprisonment.”
Mr Scott told the court he was “unaware” of the prosecution’s views, but argued Mr Kumar was “already under strict bail conditions”.
“The other matters proceeding to Supreme Court are a directions hearing, Your Honour,” Mr Scott said.
“If my learned friend wishes to oppose bail then I’ll withdraw the guilty plea and enter pleas of not guilty to all matters.”
Magistrate Webster agreed that was “exactly what he would have done” in the course of action.
He bailed Mr Kumar to appear at the Supreme Court on September 1.
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Originally published as West Moonah man faces court for 85 charges relating to child abuse material
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