ABUSING OWN KIDS

‘Graphic and degrading’ offending against their own

A former theme park worker and his now ex-partner exchanged sexually explicit messages, videos and photos of their kids during months of “graphic and degrading” offending leaving one child needing ongoing counselling.

Their messages included discussion about abusing the woman’s infant girl. The children abused were all under 10.

On one occasion the extheme park employee – who cannot be named in order to protect the childrens’ identities – got his then partner to give a young girl her phone and he sent her sexually explicit descriptions about what he wanted to do to her.

The 40-year-old man pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court to 23 charges including grooming a child, indecent treatment of a child, making child exploitation material, distributing child exploitation material and possessing child exploitation material.

His partner, 33, pleaded guilty to four charges including making child exploitation material, distributing child exploitation material and possessing child exploitation material.

Crown prosecutor Ryder Reid told the court the 40year-old man had previously indecently assaulted the young pre-teen daughter of a former partner by touching her while she lay on the bed with him and his then partner on three occasions in late 2017 and early 2018.

The offending was discovered when the girl told a friend at school and the guidance counsellor.

Mr Reid told the court the ex-theme park employee met a new partner – the 33-yearold woman – in late 2018 and they began a relationship, lasting until their arrests in June 2020.

He had two young children and the woman had three children – including one infant.

Mr Reid said during a 10month period the couple had sexually explicit conversations which revolved around those children and would also include graphic “fantasies” and explicit pictures and videos of the children.

He described the offending as “graphic and degrading”.

The more than 150 conversations included:

● discussions about using alcohol or cough mixture to “knock out” the children to sexually abuse;

● sending naked photos of the children;

● the man requesting his partner to send naked photos of the children and she complying;

● the man sending an explicit image of him with one of the children;

● the man requesting the woman show the young girl a pornographic video, and she complied;

● the woman giving her phone to her child so the man could send graphic text messages to the girl.

The court was told the offending was discovered when an undercover police officer on an adult matchmaking site saw the pair’s account discussing child sexual abuse.

Mr Reid said the man’s exwife also found the man’s old phone which contained some of the images and gave it to police. Mr Reid said when police raided the man’s home in June last year he was hiding in the house.

He said police also found children’s underwear in clipseal bags in the home.

The man has been in custody since that raid in June 2020.

Mr Reid said the woman gave “self serving” answers when she was questioned by police. She was released.

The man’s phone had 59 explicit images of children while the woman’s phone had 59 explicit images and 170 explicit videos of children.

Neither have had contact with their children since they were arrested.

Mr Reid also provided the court a victim impact statement noting one of the man’s children felt “guilt over his father’s predicament” and would likely need further counselling in the future.

The man’s barrister, Penelope White, instructed by Ashkan Tai Lawyers, said that the man had accepted his role in his offending and had shown a willingness to undergo treatment.

“My client accepts the serious nature of it and the fact it has had a serious impact on children … it will likely mean he will have no contact with children.”

She said the man had no criminal history. Ms White said he had worked at Dreamworld for 14 years before switching to other hospitality jobs including working as a cinema manager.

He lost that job due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The woman’s barrister Nick McGhee, instructed by Rawlings Criminal Law, said the woman had a number of mental health issues stemming from trauma as a child and teen.

He said when the woman met the man she had just ended a long relationship.

“He presented as a wonderful and supportive partner but equally someone she recognised was involving her in conduct which she had trouble reconciling,” he said.

“She was minimising what was occurring in respect of the children and the danger preferring the belief of him being perfect … she lost sight in the mental state she was in the criminal offending she was involved in.”

He said since the offending the woman had not reoffended and was still working in hospitality.

She had had no contact with her children.

Judge Jodie Wooldridge is expected to hand down the pair’s sentence on Tuesday.