Slade Point sex offender Kelly Herbert William Liversidge pleads guilty to raft of charges

A convicted sex offender failed to comply with a number of strict reporting obligations including contact with children and a Snapchat account.

A convicted Slade Point sex offender has a jail term hanging over his head for failing to comply with stringent child protection orders.

Kelly Herbert William Liversidge, 23, did not report his contact with children to the police alongside a raft of other offences, including drug possession, driving an unregistered vehicle and failing to notify police of changes to his employment.

Prosecutor Lennon Stathoulis told Mackay Magistrates Court the most serious offence was Liversidge’s failure to report contact with his niece on January 29.

The court heard he was staying with his mother at the time his niece moved into the house.

Mr Stathoulis said although Liversidge’s mother phoned the police to report the contact, it was his obligation to do so and the report also came outside the required time frame.

The court heard Liversidge told the police he thought he had a week to report the contact but he was obliged to do so within 24 hours.

“His obligations are very clear in that it is 24 hours,” Mr Stathoulis said.

Liversidge also failed to report a Snapchat account or his interactions with children over the Christmas and New Period.

Reporting obligations are designed to help the police keep track of the whereabouts and personal details of convicted child sex offenders to reduce the likelihood of reoffending.

Legal Aid Solicitor Danny Yarrow said his client was only made aware his niece was coming to live at the house when she showed up at the doorstep.

Kelly Herbert William Liversidge committed a range of offences around Slade Point, including failure to comply with his reporting obligations to the police.

Mr Yarrow said Liversidge told his mother he needed to report the development to the police.

“He did make an attempt to comply with those obligations,” Mr Yarrow said.

Mr Yarrow noted Liversidge had a supportive partner and good employment prospects and asked for any sentence to be suspended.

Liversidge, who spent 67 days in pre-sentence custody by the time of his court appearance via videolink on August 18, pleaded guilty to all charges.

Mr Stathoulis recommended parole.

Acting Magistrate John Aberdeen said a jail term was necessary to emphasise the importance of his reporting obligations.

“In the hope you will realise they are very important and you need to give them priority,” he said.

Liversidge was jailed for six months for failing to comply with his reporting obligations, which will hang over his head for 15 months.

For the drug and driving charges he was fined a total of $1350.

The pre-sentence custody was declared as time already served and convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Slade Point sex offender Kelly Herbert William Liversidge pleads guilty to raft of charges