Frederick Bishop pleads guilty to possessing, accessing and transmitting child abuse material

A Sunshine Coast courier will be released from custody following a police raid on his home which found he was possessing and sending “highly distressing” child abuse material online.

Frederick James Bishop faced Maroochydore District Court on Thursday. Picture: David Clark

A Beerwah courier will be released from custody after a police raid on his home found he was sending child abuse material to others on encrypted apps and social media.

Frederick James Bishop was able to leave Maroochydore District Court a free man on Thursday after spending about 11 months on remand following a search warrant on his Beerwah home on August 25, 2023.

Commonwealth prosecutor Daniel Trigger said 16 child abuse material files were found on a Samsung hard drive as well as on Bishop’s Session account, which is an encrypted and anonymising instant messaging platform.

The files included cartoon and real children engaged in sexual acts.

Bishop also accessed written child abuse material stories and used encrypted applications Telegram and Session to search for disgusting images and videos of young boys between January 9, 2023 and August 25, 2023.

Police discovered the 45-year-old had also sent child abuse material files to 32 users on 53 occasions through Telegram, Session and Instagram between January 18, 2023 and August 21, 2023, which predominantly focused on young boys in sexual acts with adults.

The Beerwah man was arrested and spent 342 days in custody up until his sentence on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to possessing, accessing and transmitting child abuse material.

Bishop was in custody when he faced court. Picture: Social media

Mr Trigger said these offences were not a victimless crime, as Bishop perpetrated the market by not only collecting the abhorrent material but sending it to other users in a “protracted and deliberate” way.

Defence barrister Mark Dixon said Bishop, who came from a prejudicial upbringing, was under significant “social stressors” in the lead up to his offending.

Mr Dixon said this included the breakdown of a long-term relationship partnered with his increase in binge drinking and linked “disinhibitions”.

Judge Ian Dearden said somewhere in the world children were being abused, with Bishop contributing to that market.

The District Court Judge was so repulsed in the files Bishop was sending, he could not fully describe it when handing down Bishop’s sentence.

“Even reading it makes me feel deeply distressed,” Judge Dearden said.

He took into account the challenging upbringing of Bishop, his alcoholism and the fact the 45-year-old already spent almost a year on remand.

The Beerwah man was jailed for two years and six months, with 342 days of custody declared as time served.

Bishop was released into the community on Thursday to be of good behaviour for three years on a recognisance order.

Originally published as Frederick Bishop pleads guilty to possessing, accessing and transmitting child abuse material