A young tradie was exposed as a paedophile at a work Christmas party after colleagues scrolling through his mobile phone stumbled upon a folder of recently deleted images and videos.
Brandon Wood was just 19 years old when he was arrested over his private cache of child pornography – including hundreds of photos and movies, as well as content that featured scenes of sadism and bestiality.
Workmates of the Ballarat apprentice – who was training to be a cabinet maker – took photos of the illicit images on their phones and reported Wood to local police, Herald Sun reports.
Brandon Wood was just 19 years old when he was arrested over his private cache of child pornography – including hundreds of photos and movies, some featuring scenes of sadism and bestiality, hidden in a folder on his phone (file image)
Wood was exposed at a work Christmas party after colleagues scrolling through his mobile phone stumbled upon a folder of recently deleted images and videos (file image)
Wood admitted to all accusations following his arrest, confessing that he was attracted to young girls and watched porn on a daily basis.
Wood, now 21, revealed that he first came across child porn as a 15-year-old and had been actively seeking it out in the months before he got caught.
He pleaded guilty to a single charge of possessing child pornography material: a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars.
County Court judge Sue Pullen said Wood had ‘quite good’ prospects of rehabilitation when she sentenced him on Friday – noting his young age, his lack of criminal history and his rehabilitation in the time since his arrest in 2016.
Wood reportedly pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity and immediately sought medical treatment for his addiction, suggesting that he was genuinely remorseful.
Wood reportedly pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity and immediately sought medical treatment for his addiction, suggesting that he was genuinely remorseful (file image)
He was ultimately sentenced to a three years community corrections order: including 250 hours of community work, ongoing psychiatric assessment and treatment and a ban from leaving Victoria.
During the sentencing, Judge Pullen stressed the fact that ‘the offence of possessing child pornography cannot be classed a victimless crime, [because] the children in the end are the victims.
‘The mere fact that persons are prepared to possess child pornography, albeit for their private purposes, necessarily creates a market for the corruption and exploitation of children,’ she said.
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