Paedophile’s sick secret life exposed in Border Force bust

To the outside world, he was a hardworking, law abiding citizen. But behind closed doors, the former manager of a Northern Territory business spoke of his depraved desire to sexually abuse a child. Warning: disturbing content

The dark secret life of Matthew James Barsby was exposed in Maryborough District Court this week.

TO the outside world, Matthew James Barsby was a hardworking, law abiding citizen.

But behind closed doors, the former manager of a Northern Territory business spoke of his depraved desire to sexually abuse a child and had a catalogue of children suffering at the hands of others.

It was only when another man drew the attention of Australian Border Force officers that Barsby’s true nature would be exposed.

In Maryborough District Court in Queensland this week, Barsby pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child abuse pornography, charges that would put him behind bars for just eight months.

The court heard that when police seized Barsby’s laptop and phone, dozens of disturbing child pornography photos and videos were located, including images in which children were being anally and orally penetrated.

The photos and videos included pre-pubescent and older children, some involved in acts with other children and some with adults.

In total, 86 photos and 56 videos were found on Barsby’s devices.

Matthew James Barsby leaving Maryborough District Court in handcuffs.

The court heard the 45-year-old had no prior criminal history and was employed as a manager at a business in the Northern Territory.

Barsby was also in a relationship when the crimes were committed.

But he suffered from depression and anxiety, the court was told, and was on medication.

Barsby’s offending had come to light when ABF stopped a Malaysian man at Sydney Airport.

The message exchange between Barsby and the man, with whom he had discussed what it would be like to feel a child’s small hand or mouth “on his d**k”, had led police to his door in the rural Queensland suburb of Tinana.

During the investigation, police found Barsby had been receiving and sending child abuse material with two other users and this catalogue included videos of children being raped.

Judge Richard Jones described Barsby’s conversations as “disturbing and disgusting”.

“People like you keep the (child abuse) industry alive,” he said.

“It’s hard to accept you only recently came to realise it wasn’t a victimless crime.”

Judge Jones said the conversations Barsby had regarding the abuse of children showed he had “more than passive interest in the sexual exploitation of children”.

Barsby was given a head sentence of two and a half years in prison, with eight months to be served and the rest to be suspended for an operational period of three years.

Originally published as Paedophile’s sick secret life exposed in Border Force bust