By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
A 50-YEAR-OLD man has been told he faces jail after pleading guilty to sending emails of child-exploitation images and a video.
The man, whose address has been suppressed by Dandenong Magistrates’ Court, also pleaded guilty to knowingly possessing thousands of child-exploitation images and videos.
The accused established the email account named “aussiec**k” in July 2003, the court heard on 9 May.
It was used to send 17 child-exploitation images and a video attached to 11 messages between 2011-’15.
Some of the content was categorised as involving penetration, non-penetration involving an adult, no sexual activity or sadism/bestiality, according to a police summary tendered to the court.
The man’s home was raided by Dandenong Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team detectives on 21 January, the court heard.
Police seized computers, portable hard drives, USB drives and a zip-lock bag containing children’s underwear and a sex toy.
SOCIT analysts categorised more than 3700 child-exploitation images and videos on a seized lap-top and a portable USB.
Most of them were classified as “animated or virtual” or as “no sexual activity”, with about 250 examples of higher-category content.
The man, who made full admissions to accessing and sending the images, was described as “very remorseful” by police.
“Yes, I honestly don’t know how I got into it,” he allegedly told police.
Defence lawyer Bernard Keating said the accused had sought counselling from a clinical psychologist in 2012, though at that stage he hadn’t disclosed his offending behaviour, Mr Keating said.
The accused faced a mandatory 15-year term on the state’s sexual offenders register, Mr Keating said.
The accused also consented to providing a DNA sample to police.
A psychologist stated the accused had a “desire” to take part in sexual offender treatment, Mr Keating said.
He requested a deferral of sentence to allow the man to complete a course of treatment.
Magistrate Carolene Gwynn said deferral of sentence was a sensible option, noting the accused was facing a “time of imprisonment” and was seeking help.
“He doesn’t seem to be making any excuses.”
He was bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 30 August.
