LOCK AWAY KID SEX GRUBS
THERE is nobody more vulnerable than children.
They are quite literally the innocent. They have no voice in the courts, in parliament, nor any other public forum.
They rely upon us – adults and the institutions we have established to maintain civil society – to protect and care for them.
It is therefore incumbent upon grown-ups to particularly look out for the welfare of children.
Which makes decisions such as that handed down yesterday to a convicted paedophile so concerning.
Christopher Edward Hunt, 31, pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to access child pornography and possessing child exploitation material.
He also confessed a gross act of bestiality but that, as disturbing as it is, is not our chief concern here.
Hunt could have been given up to a 15-year prison sentence for the child pornography offence and 14 years for the child exploitation offence.
Instead, he was given a suspended sentence and therefore allowed to walk free from Southport District Court yesterday.
There are many variables that go into decisions that inevitably spark an emotional response, no matter the severity or otherwise of the sentence.
In this instance, for example, the magistrate took into account the defendant’s consultation with a psychologist over his crime.
She also took note of Hunt’s clean record and the fact that he pleaded guilty.
However, it is difficult for members of the public to escape concluding that this sentence is sending the wrong message to abusers, victims, their families, and the broader community.
There are several considerations on this front.
Firstly, victims or their loved ones must believe that reporting crime will reap justice.
The prospect of a lengthy jail term would logically provide greater encouragement to witnesses to crimes to report them to authorities.
Secondly, the sentence itself acts as a validation to the victim that the crime they suffered was seen as grossly wrong by authorities.
Thirdly, when paedophiles download child pornography, they are supporting a business model that hurts kids.
This therefore is not a victimless crime. Hence, there needs to be a strong deterrent in the form of harsh punishment.
That said, there will be those who argue that the spectre of long sentences would do little to deter paedophiles.
To those, we would argue that for the safety of all children, these offenders should be locked away.
It is disappointing and disturbing that a week after the Bulletin splashed its August 14 edition on growing criticism of soft sentencing of sex offenders, that this issue still vexes the community.
It is to be hoped that the Bulletin’s views, which we would argue reflect a broader view across the city, will be noted by the judiciary and politicians.