Steven Makins admits to four counts of procuring a child for sexual activity on Kik app

The confessed predator said he didn’t actually remember the messages he sent to an undercover cop posing as a teenager on a popular messaging app.

A predator said it hurts him to know that he sent young children sexualised messages, including asking them for explicit photos.

However, Steven Makins, 35, has insisted he was not aroused by the conversations and doesn’t know why he committed the vile acts.

Police previously alleged Makins communicated with an undercover police officer posing as a 13 and 14-year-old girl on multiple occasions.

Giving evidence on Friday, Makins told the District Court he was having relationship issues when he stumbled across the Kik application and began chatting to people online.

However, he said he didn’t remember any of the online conversations he had with children relating to the offending but accepted it must have been him.

Steven Makins pleaded guilty to four counts of procuring a child for sexual activity Photo: Facebook

“I didn’t want to turn to drugs, I didn’t want to turn to alcohol because I know how much of an effect that can have on myself and all the rest of it,” he said.

“This app was just my escape and I would turn everything off and I would just be zoned into this app and talking to people.”

The court heard Makins asked a female, who told him she was 13, to see photos of her breasts.

He also asked a 14-year-old for explicit photographs and encouraged her to masturbate.

However, even after being reminded of a message of him saying he looked forward to receiving them, Makins insisted multiple times he didn’t actually want to see these photographs.

He told the court he forgot who he was talking to because he would delete the app to hide it from his partner and when he reinstalled it the conversation history would be gone.

“I’m not this person. This is not who I am … this hurts me to know that I’ve done this,” he said.

When asked why he engaged in the offending Makins replied “I don’t know”.

When suggested that the only explanation available was that Makins continued to talk to underage girls because he was aroused by the conversations he replied “I was not aroused by young girls, no”.

Makins pleaded guilty to four counts of communicating with the intention of procuring a child for sexual activity.

The offences were committed between September 2019 and June 2022 in the northern suburbs.

Makins told the court he had been in the Country Fire Service for 20 years and became a senior firefighter.

The court heard he had three sons, and also helped care for his new partner’s son, who has autism.

Makins said his partner had serious health issues, as well as his own, which included anxiety and PTSD after seeing his dad fall through a roof.

His charges were adjourned until later this month.

Originally published as Steven Makins admits to four counts of procuring a child for sexual activity on Kik app