Former A Current Affair reporter Ben McCormack has been sentenced to a three year good behaviour bond and fined $1000 after a court heard he was a victim of child sexual abuse and obsessively fantasised about a period in his life when he was a young boy.
The 43-year-old appeared in front of District Court judge Paul Conlon for sentencing on Wednesday morning.
McCormack had pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to transmit child pornography material in September when, over more than 18 months, he sent text messages fantasising about sex with children to a West Australian primary school teacher over Skype.
It is judgment day for former A Current Affair reporter Ben McCormack as he learns if he will be jailed over his text message child sex fantasies
Ben McCormack is seen arriving at Downing Centre Local Court for sentencing on Wednesday
The Nine reporter sent messages over Skype using the name ‘oz4skinboi’ to the man about how he ‘loved bs (boys)’, a statement of agreed facts said.
The offence is punishable by a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
However, during a sentencing hearing the judge described McCormack’s offending as at the ‘lowest’ end of the scale as the offending is not typical of the charge.
Police did not allege there any evidence of McCormack exchanging pictures or video showing children in pornographic poses, only words.
Judge Conlon said many of the factors he had to consider in child porn cases – including whether a child had been exploited or treated cruelly – were not present in the 43-year-old journalist’s case.
The 43-year-old arrives to appear before District Court judge Paul Conlon for sentencing
McCormack pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to promote, publish or transmit child pornography in September. Above, he is seen arriving at court on Wednesday
Police did not allege there any evidence of McCormack exchanging pictures or video showing children in pornographic poses, only words
He said he had ‘never’ previously seen someone facing charges like McCormack seek treatment prior to their arrest.
McCormack’s defence lawyers had submitted to the court he had seen a psychiatrist over his paedophilic thoughts well prior to his arrest.
‘This is the first time I have ever seen a case involving this type of charge (where) the offender himself, well before he was arrested …. was seeking professional assistance for what he knew was wrong,’ he said.
But a Crown prosecutor, who declined to be named to media, then told the court McCormack should serve a custodial sentence.
But the prosecutor said that ‘doesn’t mean we are saying full-time custody’.
Judge Conlon read from submissions, including psychiatric reports, which said his child sex fantasies were born with ‘fantasising about a period from his early life’, understood to be when he was 11-years-old.
Ben McCormack reported to the police station for bail for the final time before his sentencing on Monday morning
‘The fantasisation of this period of his early life… was the catalyst of his offending,’ a submission by his lawyer Sam Macedone said.
‘He would use these conversations (with the West Australian man) so he would be aroused and so he could masturbate.’
The judge accepted McCormack had been fantasising.
The court did not hear any evidence to suggest he sent photographs or videos of children.
Referring to psychiatric reports, Judge Conlon said: ‘(McCormack) was envious of others who had early acceptance of his sexuality.
Former Nine journalist Ben McCormack quit the network shortly before entering his guilty pleas
McCormack (with lawyer Sam Macedone) pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to transmit, produce or publish child pornography material in September
During his teens, his sexual fantasies were recreations of missed opportunities where he was too scared of doing anything when he was young.
‘He said he had spent many hours fantasising about returning to his childhood … He had a fantasy love affair with his best friend in his 20s.’
The court heard in the mid-2000s his attraction to pre-teen boys was ‘triggered’ after meeting children, aged 9 and 11, while doing a story about their father.
The sentencing judge read out further details of his attempted suicide attempts – the first of which, days after his arrest, involved a car, an exhaust pipe and a 17-page suicide letter. He was found by a friend.
The court heard he calls his best friend, a doctor, ‘Judas’ for committing him to a mental health institution in an involuntary fashion.
‘I do not think it is an exaggeration to say his life has been destroyed,’ the judge said.
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.