Fernvale dad Daniel Ashley Gulliver separated from kids after child porn collection exposed

A Fernvale dad who was separated from his children when police discovered his child porn collection has now been given a jail sentence.

A Fernvale man has been sentenced after police discovered his child porn collection of 413 images and 14 videos.

Daniel Ashley Gulliver, 29, appeared in Ipswich District Court today (July 14) charged with two counts of possessing child exploitation material which he procured by using an anonymising service.

Gulliver pleaded guilty to both charges on April 19, 2022.

The court heard that on July 18, 2020, police issued a search warrant for Gulliver’s house, where they found two phones which contained the incriminating photos and videos.

Across both devices, the police identified 413 images and 14 videos classified as child exploitation material – although Judge Dennis Lynch noted there was some duplication.

The court heard that Gulliver co-operated with the police and told them that a work associate allegedly showed him how to access child exploitation material.

He further said that he had downloaded child exploitation material and allegedly provided it to that same associate.

Fernvale dad Daniel Ashley Gulliver, who was sentenced in the Ipswich District Court on July 14 2022 for possession of child pornography.

Gulliver’s lawyer Michael McMillan noted “although there is in the facts a suggestion that he was disseminating it, he’s not charged with any sort of dissemination offence”.

He further said Gulliver would lose his job if he was sentenced to actual jail time.

Gulliver had no history of similar offending, but he was sentenced in 2017 to 12 months imprisonment for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and driving under the influence of alcohol.

The sentence was wholly suspended for an operational period of three years – and Gulliver’s more recent offences occurred during that operational period, breaching his suspended sentence.

The court heard that Gulliver has engaged in a 12-session sex offenders treatment program with a psychologist since his offending, and that he has continued to seek further treatment after the program’s completion.

Judge Lynch noted the psychologist had said Gulliver’s risk of reoffending was in the “exceptionally low category”.

Judge Lynch said Gulliver acknowledged he had initially convinced himself that he wasn’t doing anything harmful, but that he has since accepted responsibility and acknowledged that his conduct was wrong.

“No one should be under any misapprehension that the possession of child exploitation material is a victimless offence,” said Judge Lynch.

“Real children were abused for the purpose of creating the images and videos that you had possession of.

“The downloading of that material – or perhaps even the provision of it to others, as you admitted – has the effect of encouraging the creation of that sort of material and therefore encourages further abuse of children wherever that may occur in the world.”

Judge Lynch noted that Gulliver had four children between the ages of three months and 10 years old, and that he had been prevented from seeing them due to his bail conditions.

“I note the hardship that you have suffered – and those children have suffered – because of the nature of your bail,” he said.

Gulliver was sentenced to 12 months of imprisonment for each charge – to run concurrently.

Judge Lynch ordered that the sentence be suspended after two months for an operational period of two years.

He further activated Gulliver’s previous suspended sentence for dangerous operation of a vehicle, and sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment, to run concurrently with his other sentences – and that he be released on parole on the same date, September 13, 2022.

Originally published as Fernvale dad Daniel Ashley Gulliver separated from kids after child porn collection exposed