Muhamad Affendi Amberi in court over child exploitation material charges

A man accused of three counts of possessing child exploitation material will have his case moved to a higher court. This is what the court was told.

A Malaysian national employed as a farm worker in the Bundaberg region has been remanded to a district court on three charges of possessing child exploitation material.

Muhamad Affendi Amberi appeared in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he faced five charges, including one of failing to appear in accordance with an undertaking, one of breaching a bail condition and three of possessing child exploitation material.

Amberi pleaded guilty to breaching bail and failing to appear, but did not enter a plea in regard to the other three charges.

The court heard that on May 10, 2022, Amberi failed to attend Bundaberg Magistrates Court.

His lawyer, John Dodd, told the court his client believed his legal representation would attend and mistakenly thought he did not have to.

Malaysian national Muhamad Affendi Amberi has been committed to the district court.

The court heard he also broke a condition of his bail, granted on March 4, when he didn’t report to the police station on May 30.

However, Mr Dodd said his client had been working and did turn up at the station once he was able to.

It was heard that Amberi, 31, is in Australia on a work visa, is employed on Bundaberg farms, and has no previous criminal history.

“He spent two hours in custody, so he knows the consequences of not complying with bail,” Mr Dodd said.

Magistrate John McInnes told the court that while there were times when defendants were excused from being in court, it was not such an occasion when Amberi didn’t attend.

“You’ve had the experience of being arrested, so you now understand,” he said.

Mr McInnes said the non-indictable offences on Amberi’s list were at the lower end of the scale and that a “modest fine” was in order.

For failing to appear, it was found Amberi had been “just a little slack” and he was fined $200, referred to SPER.

For the breach of bail he was convicted but not further punished.

No convictions were recorded.

Amberi will face court again on August 16 over the child exploitation material charges.

Originally published as Muhamad Affendi Amberi in court over child exploitation material charges