Kelly Herbert William Liversidge sentenced for child sex offending reporting breaches

A young man with an extensive history of breaching the reporting conditions given to child sex offenders was jailed, while his crying and newly pregnant partner watched on.

A young man with an extensive history of breaching the reporting conditions given to child sex offenders was jailed, while his crying and newly pregnant partner watched on. DETAILS

A 25 year old was thrown in prison after the latest in a long series of offences breaching the state’s strict child sex offender reporting laws.

It was hardly Kelly Herbert William Liversidge’s first time in Mackay Magistrates Court on Thursday, but it was the first time he appeared in person to face punishment for reporting breaches.

He had watched on from a videolink in custody almost exactly a year earlier in August 2023, as well as a year earlier than that in August 2022, for the exact same crimes.

Magistrate Damian Dwyer said after more than 25 breaches since 2018 across a variety of Queensland courts, it was clear “the penny doesn’t seem to have dropped”.

After a few moments reading his file, Mr Dwyer ordered Liversidge into the dock to receive his sentence.

Liversidge’s partner was in court to support him, retrieving the Akubra he took off before entering the dock, with McKays Lawyers’ Robert Beamish later noting she was nine months pregnant after the couple had been together “for over a year”.

Kelly Herbert William Liversidge was jailed after 27 breaches of child sex offender reporting conditions on Thursday August 8, 2024.

The court heard Liversidge’s was from New South Wales, and moved north in 2021.

“Why did he move to Queensland? To escape the warrant?” Mr Dwyer asked.

“No, my biological mother lives up here,” Liversidge responded from the dock.

Guilty pleas were already filed for two counts of failing to comply with reporting conditions, with Mr Dwyer noting one for not reporting within a week of release from prison and one for not being at the registered address.

Mr Dwyer said Liversidge had been sentenced for four breaches in 2018, two in 2019, two in 2020, seven in 2022, and ten in 2023 for a whopping total of 27 to date.

“It’s the same pattern, again and again,” police prosecutor Matt Saunders said, with Mr Dwyer agreeing “it’s a very serious charge and he’s seemed to have taken a very flippant attitude”.

Mr Beamish said Liversidge had been born in Nowra and early in his life suffered abuse at the hand of his father.

The court heard he was educated to year 12 and was ticketed as a mechanic, but was currently working as a fencer on a station in Nebo.

Mr Beamish made submissions that parole in the community could aid Liversidge’s rehabilitation, but admitted “imprisonment is absolutely warranted otherwise”.

The maximum sentence for breaching the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Offender Prohibition Order) Act 2004 was five years in prison, Mr Dwyer noted to Liversidge.

“The offence for which the order was made was particularly heinous and showed a real need for community to be protected from you,” Mr Dwyer said.

“And you chose, as you have chosen since 2018, to continually, persistently show contempt of those orders by failing to report.

“You’re not a person of good character.”

Liversidge was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment to run concurrently with his existing sentences with no parole eligibility until February 6, 2025, as his watching partner cried silently.

“I hope in the next six months that penny drops,” Mr Dwyer said.

Originally published as Kelly Herbert William Liversidge sentenced for child sex offending reporting breaches