Simeon Thomas Deslie Davis pleads guilty to seven child exploitation material charges

Almost 1000 images and videos possessed by a Far North man has been described as “cruel and degrading as it gets” during a hearing in Cairns District Court. WARNING: Graphic details.

A man who possessed almost 1000 “cruel and degrading” child exploitation and abuse images and videos will learn his fate in Cairns District Court on Friday.

Simeon Thomas Deslie Davis, 20, pleaded guilty to seven counts involving possessing and distributing child exploitation material, using a carriage service to access child abuse material and using a hidden or anonymous network to distribute child exploitation material in Cairns District Court on Wednesday.

Crown prosecutor Tim Watkins told the court the material was “about as cruel and degrading as it gets, particularly those which involve young infants”.

He said Mr Davis used an encrypted and anonymous app called Telegram, which has a ‘secret chats’ feature.

“Aggravating factors are the number of images and the length of time, it would have continued if police did not intervene,” Mr Watkins said.

Cairns District Court heard two men exchanged child exploitation images and videos using the encrypted Telegram app.

“A further aggravating factor is the specific nature of the images and the age of the children, right down to infants, and the acts inflicted upon the children, including penetration,” he said.

“When images were sent to him he replied and communicated a desire to carry out sexual abuse on the children that were depicted.”

Defence barrister Rachelle Logan said Mr Davis started chatting online with an older man when he was aged about 15 or 16.

She said that man was Matthew Stephen Warren.

Mr Warren, 36, has been sentenced after being charged with 59 offences including 21 counts of distributing child exploitation material and 26 counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material.

Ms Logan said Mr Davis was subjected a truamatic experience when he was primary school age, but never disclosed it to anyone but Mr Warren.

“This older fellow exploited his vulnerability,” Ms Logan said.

“The man introduced him to the material and it spiralled from there.”

She said Mr Davis was embarrassed and ashamed and a personality assessment indicated he was traumatised.

Ms Logan said Mr Warren sent Mr Davis the images.

But Mr Watkins said the images were sent at the request of Mr Davis.

Judge Paul Smith adjourned the sentencing hearing to Friday to consider the sentencing remarks in the case of Mr Warren.

Mr Warren’s arrest in late 2020 came after a protracted investigation by the newly formed Cairns Joint Agency Child Exploitation Team made up of both members of the federal and Queensland Police Service.

Mr Davis was charged on November 11, 2020, and has been on bail with strict conditions for 22 months.

Originally published as Simeon Thomas Deslie Davis pleads guilty to seven child exploitation material charges