Former Gracemere fire station captain Shane Macklin groomed child online

He was hailed a hero of Queensland’s hellfire horror, but one online chatroom conversation has resulted in this respected miner’s downfall, a court has heard.

NEWS - Shane Macklin among other locals who stood shoulder-to-shoulder to fight the ferocious firestorm that threatened to wipe a town - Gracemere - off the map. Pic Mark Cranitch.

He was dubbed a hero for his actions in stopping a ferocious blaze from destroying the homes of 12,000 people, but an online chatroom conversation has stripped him of his livelihood, a court has heard,

Former auxiliary firefighter Shane Macklin pleaded guilty in Rockhampton District Court on Thursday to “grooming a child with intent to expose to indecent matter”.

The court heard he initiated a private online conversation with who he thought was a 13-year-old named Zoe, and 11 months later, was charged.

Former Gracemere fire station captain Shane Macklin groomed child online

Defence lawyer Maree Willey said her 56-year-old client lost his job in the mines and his wife (who is not accused of any wrongdoing) also lost her job as a school boarding house supervisor.

Crown prosecutor Ryan Minuti said Zoe was a fictitious profile created by a Queensland Police Service officer who pretended to be a 13-year-old girl.

He said the officer was in an online chatroom when Macklin initiated a private conversation with the profile on July 21, 2022.

Mr Minuti said Zoe told Macklin she was 13 and “not to get angry”.

“After some discussion, the defendant responded ‘would you get angry if I put my hand in your panties?’,” the court heard.

Chief Judge Brian Devereaux said the exchange between Macklin and Zoe quickly became sexualised and Macklin “sent messages of a disgusting nature considering you were talking to, you thought, a 13-year-old girl”.

Chief Judge Brian Devereaux SC. Picture, John Gass

Mr Minuti said Macklin repeatedly asked the child what sexual actions she would be “okay with”.

Police executed a search warrant at the father-of-three and grandfather-of-four’s Gracemere residence on June 27, 2023.

The court heard his devices were seized by police and Ms Willey said no further charges “flowed” from them, meaning this was an “isolated incident”.

It also heard Macklin was the Gracemere auxiliary fire station’s captain at the time of the offending and had to resign from the service after 27 years fighting fires because he lost his Blue Card when he was charged with grooming a child.

He was previously praised along with others after fighting off a firestorm in the Stanwell/Kabra area which created its own weather system with “unprecedented” and “catastrophic” conditions.

About 3pm on November 28, 2018, Gracemere, Stanwell and Kabra residents were told to evacuate as a ferocious fire threatened to burn down the homes of more than 12,000 residents.

For 12 hours until 2am on November 29, the part-time firefighters battled 15m flames and intense smoke to help save Gracemere.

After a couple of hours sleep, they were back on the frontline as flames fanned by strengthening westerly winds flared again and thick clouds of smoke billowed around Gracemere, Kabra and Stanwell.

“It’s probably the most intense fire I’ve been to in 20-odd years,” Macklin, captain of the Gracemere Fire Brigade, told the Courier Mail on November 30.

“There were multiple structures under threat. The fire got close. Gracemere was very lucky but the fire is still there.”

The predicted path of the Stanwell fire that forced the evacuation of over 12,000 people from Kabra, Gracemere and the surrounding areas. The State Government released this image, which was made using predictive technology to show the potential path of the fire.

The court heard on May 23 that Macklin had been awarded the National Service Medal in 2011 when he clocked up 15 years fighting fires and had received recognition for his firefighting efforts in the Canberra fires.

Macklin first volunteered with the volunteer fire service in 1996 as he worked various full-time jobs as a labourer, storeman and purchasing officer at Rockhampton Mater Hospital purchasing officer for 15 years.

He has also volunteered with the State Emergency Service.

Ms Willey said after Macklin was charged, he saw a psychologist.

The court heard those sessions revealed Macklin was a teenager when he was a victim of abuse, which he had never disclosed to anyone, and had been using the internet “for a long time” to look at pornography.

At the time of the offending, he was living in a donga at a mine site, feeling isolated, depressed and bored.

Macklin claimed he was drinking alcohol to self-medicate – about 12 standard alcoholic drinks per night, and engaging in online activity.

After the offending, he relocated to an off-site unit where he was able to cook and do other things, and his mental health improved.

The psychologist, through various tests, determined Macklin was unlikely to reoffend.

Former Gracemere fire station captain Shane Macklin groomed child online

Ms Willey said Macklin had also been stood down from his employment with the mine as a result of his charge and his employer asked the psychologist to assess if it was safe for Macklin to return to work before the employer would make a decision about Macklin’s future employment.

The court heard the psychologist concluded it was not safe for Macklin to return to work and his employer terminated Macklin’s job.

Ms Willey said since then, Macklin and his wife of 30 years lived off his work entitlements, which ran out a few months ago.

She said they were now living off savings and selling assets.

She also said Macklin was too old to retrain in a new industry where he wasn’t at risk of coming into contact with children.

As a result of Macklin’s conviction for grooming a child, he is now a reportable offender for the next 10 years.

Judge Devereaux placed Macklin on an 18-month probation order and no conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Former Gracemere fire station captain Shane Macklin groomed child online