’Proud ped’ TV star walks free
DISGRACED former A Current Affair reporter Ben McCormack yesterday walked out of court with a good behaviour bond for two child pornography offences.
As he left Sydney’s Downing Centre courts a man called McCormack a “f...ing filthy maggot” before throwing a cup filled with saliva and water over his back.
In sentencing the former journalist, Judge Paul Conlon said he hoped McCormack would never harm himself.
“You’ve never harmed anyone in your life, accordingly I would not like to see you go forth and harm yourself,” Mr Conlon told the 43-year-old.
McCormack was placed on the three-year bond after pleading guilty to taking part in sexually explicit online conversations about young boys.
The confessed paedophile, who used the online name of “oz4skinboi”, had regular graphic conversations with a West Australian school teach- er on Skype between April 2015 to February this year.
In one conversation he described himself as a “proud ped” and once said: “They are soooo beautiful … I want to make love to one so badly.”
Judge Conlon, who recently sentenced a paedophile to 32 years’ jail, said McCormack’s conversations were fantasies about young males but emphasised there were no victims and his crime was at the very low end of the scale of objective seriousness.
“There has been no attempt to sexually exploit children and no grooming of any child to partake in child pornography,” he said. “I am satisfied he has demonstrated genuine contrition and remorse.”