Roderick Mentha, 28, sentenced over online relationship with undercover cop posing as 12yo girl

A man who exchanged dozens of sexual photos and videos and arranged to meet up for sex with who he thought was a 12-year-old girl has been sentenced.

AN Alice Springs man who exchanged dozens of sexual photos and videos and arranged to meet up for sex with who he thought was a 12-year-old girl, could walk free from prison this August.

But unbeknown to the offender, an undercover police officer had taken over the social media account in question, leading to a dramatic sting operation involving a female police officer posing as the girl, known to the man as “Kells”.

Roderick Mentha, 28, appeared in the NT Supreme Court in Alice Springs, where he was sentenced over seven child sexual offences relating to an 18-month online relationship he had engaged in between 2019 and 2021.

Five of the seven charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years’ jail for each count.

Justice Judith Kelly handed the 28-year-old a head prison sentence of three years and nine months, suspended after 18 months and backdated to last February.

The court heard in December 2020, NT Police arrested a man who had been using an online social media account to pose as a young girl named “Kells”, and was using the account to transmit child abuse material.

Alice Springs man Roderick Mentha pleaded guilty to a string of “abhorrent” child sexual offences. Picture: Facebook.

Australian Federal Police officers took over the account, and noted Mentha had been communicating with Kells, who had told him she was 12 years old.

Mentha had at various times told Kells he was between 14 and 16 years old.

During these communications, described as “depraved” and “utterly inappropriate”, Mentha arranged to meet up with Kells for sex at Anzac Oval on February 5, 2021, and offered to pay her as an inducement.

Just after 4pm, Mentha drove his blue Holden Commodore to the oval and pulled up in the car park.

As had been arranged, Mentha took a photo of who he believed was the 12-year-old girl, but who was in fact a female undercover police officer waiting there for him.

Mentha sent the photo to Kells and asked her to come to the entry gate.

He then got out of his car and approached the undercover police officer. At this point, police swooped in and arrested Mentha.

Officers uncovered a “large volume” of communications between Mentha and Kells over SMS, MMS, Facebook and WhatsApp, and also found a “private safe” application on his phone containing child abuse material sent to him by Kells.

The court heard all the offending had occurred while Mentha was living at his family home and in a long-term relationship with a woman he’d been dating since he was 18 years old.

Previously, the court heard Mentha had told Kells he was “catching feelings” for her and at one point asked her: “Will you be my girlfriend?”

Mentha arranged to meet up for sex with what he thought was a 12-year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover cop. Picture: Facebook.

According to his defence lawyer, Mentha was a “troubled child” and spent time in the infamous Don Dale youth detention facility over a string of stealing and property offences as a juvenile.

In sentencing, Justice Kelly acknowledged that no real child was harmed by Mentha’s activities, since he was at all times unknowingly communicating with an adult or a covert police officer.

She also noted Mentha did not profit from nor pay for the child abuse material, as well as the fact there was no evidence suggesting he circulated the material to other people.

Previously, Justice Kelly read out parts of an apology letter written by Mentha, which stated: “I was caught up with something that I now know was wrong” and “I’m truly sorry for what happened”.

Having read over Mentha’s extensive communications, Justice Kelly characterised his request for sex from Kells as “persistent and harassing”.

“The communications themselves (were) crude, vulgar, depraved, discourteous, disrespectful, and utterly inappropriate,” she said.

Mentha’s sentence was drastically reduced by Justice Kelly’s decision for the 28-year-old to serve time for his seven charges concurrently.