Man on bail for child porn charges ‘watching young girls’

A man already on bail for child pornography charges has been arrested living in a house across the road from a Brisbane school and allegedly conducting surveillance on young girls.

William Tyrone Kelly was denied bail in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday after detectives raided an address opposite Woodridge North State School on Friday.

Officers allege the 32-year-old had a surveillance camera set up to monitor the school from his house and had been taking detailed notes about the movements of female students.

He was denied bail after detectives raided an address opposite Woodridge North State School on Friday

It was also alleged he had approached children and adults in the street and had offered them lollipops to come to his house, as well as advertising himself on Gumtree as a babysitter.

Police said in his offer of free child minding, he described himself as honest and friendly, and capable of making lunches and walking children to and from school, Nine News reports. 

He was charged with possessing and making child exploitation material, as well as breaching the bail conditions of his earlier charges and was remanded in custody to reappear in court on November 13.

Officers allege the 32-year-old had a surveillance camera set up to monitor the school from his house

Kelly’s neighbour Andrew Krarup said he was shocked to learn of the man’s disturbing habits.

‘It was just a bit of a stunned “wow, really?”, right across the road from my old school,’ he said. 

The man was supposed to be living at an alternate address in a different suburb, but had been living at the property across from the school for nearly a year, police said. 

The offender’s neighbour Andrew Krarup (pictured) said he was shocked to learn of the man’s disturbing habits