Toowoomba man Arel Aviles Lara jailed for child abuse material
WARNING DISTRESSING: A Toowoomba athlete who has been described as a prominent member of the city’s Filipino community has been jailed for possessing and sharing “abhorrent” child abuse material.
Police & Courts
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A man who has been described as a prominent member of Toowoomba’s Filipino community and talented basketball player has been jailed for possessing and sharing “abhorrent” child abuse material.
On Friday, February 3, Arel Aviles Lara was jailed for three months after pleading guilty to two serious child abuse crimes – using a device to distribute child abuse material (CEM) and possessing CEM.
Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren said police found 18 CEM files on the 31-year-old aged care worker’s mobile phones, a hard drive, and in two Facebook groups that the man created to share the content with others.
The court heard Lara, who planned to be a nurse, had video footage of men and woman engaging in a number of sexual acts with pre-pubescent girls and boys.
Judge Horneman-Wren said two videos showed young girls being raped.
One of the girls was five–years-old.
The vile videos included children aged between four and 15 years of age.
A psychiatrist who examined Lara told the court he did not fit the clinical category of a paedophile.
The court heard Lara accessed the CEM in October 2021, and co-operated with police when his home was raided in December.
Judge Horneman-Wren said the fact that Lara created two Facebook groups to share the files and chat with “like-minded people” was concerning, especially because he named the groups after popular Filipino child formula products.
Lara’s legal team lodged a failed submission that Lara had exceptional circumstances, which would save him from serving actual time in jail, such has his young age, co-operation, and lack of criminal history.
Judge Horneman-Wren did not agree and sentenced Lara to a 12 month jail term.
Lara will serve three months behind bars before he is released on a $2000 good behaviour bond, and 12 months probation order.
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