Catholic school deputy principal took party drugs and watched child porn because he was stressed

Catholic school deputy principal addicted to party drugs says he watched disgusting child porn because he was STRESSED at work

  • Disgraced former Catholic school deputy principal has begged not to be jailed  
  • Quentin Paul Smith, 50, pleaded guilty to four charges when he faced court
  • Court heard he accessed 156 files of child pornography on his laptop at home
  • Lawyer said Smith watched child porn and took party drugs due to stress

A disgraced former Catholic school deputy principal addicted to party drugs and watching videos of boys performing sexual acts has begged a judge to not lock him up.

Quentin Paul Smith, 50, pleaded guilty to three charges relating to possessing and producing child abuse material and one count for GHB possession when he appeared in the County Court on Thursday.

He resigned as deputy principal at St John’s Regional College in Dandenong in Melbourne’s south-east with his 26-year teaching career in tatters following his arrest in March last year.

The police raid of his Richmond home was part of a week-long sting across Victoria which led to 13 arrests. 

Disgraced former deputy principal Quentin Paul Smith, 50, (pictured) now works as a cleaner

The court heard shocking details about the content on the 156 files of child pornography Smith accessed on his laptop at his home in the 13 months up until his arrest, The Herald Sun reported. 

Some videos and images showed boys as young as six performing sexual acts on men while another showed bestiality.

Defence barrister Antony Trood told the court his client was stressed about extra job responsibilities placed on him at the time of his offending.

‘One of those things he did to relieve that stress was to take drugs and engage in promiscuous sexual activity with same-sex partners, which has included the accessing of child porn material,’ Mr Trood told the court.

He argued the 156 files his client watched was ‘relatively few’ compared to other cases before the courts.

A court heard of how a Catholic school deputy principal watched videos of boys performing sexual acts on his laptop at home due to stress at work (stock image)

A court heard of how a Catholic school deputy principal watched videos of boys performing sexual acts on his laptop at home due to stress at work (stock image)

No students at Smith’s former workplace were implicated in his offending. 

The court heard Smith told police he was not interested in child porn because of his work and that he more fantasised about it than being ‘into it’.

Mr Trood called for Smith to be spared jail and instead be placed on recognisance and community correction order.

Despite character references describing him as well regarded, Smith has not returned to teaching and now works as a cleaner.  

‘He lost a 26-year-year career as a teacher,’ Mr Trood told the court.

Prosecutors disagreed, arguing to Judge Michael O’Connell that the offences warranted imprisonment to deter would-be offenders.

Smith will be sentenced later this month.

Smith was deputy principal at St John's Regional College (pictured) at the time of the offences

Smith was deputy principal at St John’s Regional College (pictured) at the time of the offences

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