Brian Conrad Hancock pleads guilty to possessing child abuse material, stalking and theft at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court

A disgraced former Barwon prison guard has been caught with child abuse material, with police also finding a stolen County Court computer at his house.

Brian Conrad Hancock pleads guilty to possessing child abuse material, stalking and theft at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court

A disgraced former prison guard at Victoria’s toughest prison has been busted with a vile stash of child abuse material, begging a magistrate to avoid sending him to the slammer he once guarded.

Brian Conrad Hancock, of Lara, appeared in the Melbourne’s Magistrates’ Court this week where he pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material, stalking and stealing a computer from the County Court.

In 2023, police seized hard drives, memory cards, a computer and a laptop from his home.

They found two videos containing child abuse material on one hard drive.

The first video showed a 14-year-old girl showering behind a shower screen, and the second video showed the girl changing clothes in the bathroom.

Police also found child abuse images in Hancock’s possession, which included naked photos of girls aged between eight and 12 and videos depicting a young girl performing oral sex on an adult man.

There were also images of children performing sexual activity with adult males, including penetrative acts.

Police also found an image of a female child performing a sexual act with a dog.

Hancock — a former Barwon corrections officer — also stole a desk computer belonging to the County Court, which contained court information.

Hancock’s lawyer told the court her client was “a man who has achieved some maturity” since the offending in 2023.

“There are no further matters alleged against him since 2023. (He is a man) who has escaped the attention of law enforcement,” she said.

The lawyer said Hancock had been a working man his entire life and had been previously employed as a navy officer, as well as in IT roles.

Hancock was most recently employed by Corrections between 2018 and December 2023 but was fired after he was charged and now worked as a carpet cleaner.

“(Losing the job with Corrections) was a devastating blow to his career because that career was something he was passionate about,” the lawyer said.

“The loss of the job was inevitable (but) it has certainly been the fall from grace.”

The court heard that Hancock had been in a 10-year-long relationship, was engaged to be married, and has a daughter who will turn one this year.

The lawyer told the court Hancock’s offending was not sophisticated and was “opportunistic” and asked the court to consider a non-custodial sentence.

“If he receives a term of imprisonment, it is highly likely that he will serve in protective custody. Any police officers, prison guards, corrections officers… are … placed in protection.”

The prosecutor said possessing child abuse material was “not a victimless crime”.

Magistrate Rosemary Falla said Hancock’s conduct showed a “complete lack of insight”.

“This is what I’m struggling with … he’s not new to the process or the system. He’s well entrenched in it,” she said.

“He is a person who has worked in the justice system and well appreciates how people ultimately get there.”

Ms Falla said she would impose a term of imprisonment on Hancock along with a community corrections order, if he was found suitable.

He will be sentenced later this year.

Originally published as Brian Conrad Hancock pleads guilty to possessing child abuse material, stalking and theft at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court