Australian Conservatives MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins has opened up about how she discovered her husband’s secret stash of child pornography.
Speaking to Andrew Bolt on Sky News on Thursday night she also revealed political opponents had threatened to use her husband’s paedophilia against her.
When asked at the beginning of the interview how she found out about her husband’s behaviour, Dr Carling-Jenkins said she was taken by surprise.
Australian Conservatives MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins (pictured) has opened up about how she discovered her husband’s secret stash of child pornography
A picture shared on Twitter by a 7News reporter shows other MPs consoling MP Rachel Carling Jenkins after the speech
‘I just had a feeling that there was something wrong … and it was connected to his laptop, so I broke into his laptop and what I found was not what I expected,’ she said.
‘I went into hysterics. I was just completely overwhelmed. In a lot of ways I guess I just didn’t know what to feel, so I guess I lost it.’
Dr Carling-Jenkins declined to name the person responsible for making the political threat, but said it led to her asking parliament for permission to make a statement.
‘I thought that was probably a step too far, to try and use something like that against me,’ she told Mr Bolt.
Speaking to Andrew Bolt on Sky News on Thursday night Dr Carling-Jenkins (pictured) also revealed political opponents had threatened to use her husband’s paedophilia against her
Dr Carling-Jenkins named her ex-husband as a paedophile in a stunning speech in Victoria’s parliament on Thursday.
Her former husband Gary Jenkins has been convicted and jailed for possessing child exploitation images in the family home, she said.
She said that she and her son Terrence discovered Jenkins had an ‘extensive collection of child pornography’ in the family home in February 2016.
Dr Carling-Jenkins said her marriage ended in that moment and she immediately left the family home.
But she added that he has refused to sign divorce papers and is still in touch with their son.
Australian Conservatives MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins has named her ex-husband as a paedophile in a stunning speech in Victoria’s parliament
In the heartbreaking speech on Thursday, she admitted she is haunted by the images of the little girls she saw – and does not regret reporting Jenkins to the police.
She added: ‘I have been silent on this topic until now only because I would not do anything to interfere with police investigations or judicial proceedings, but these are completely over.
‘And so it is time to speak out on behalf of the voiceless and the vulnerable in this story: the victims.’
Dr Carling-Jenkins said ‘the faces of many [victims] are etched in my memory for eternity.
‘I pray that the police were able to identify and rescue as many of these poor helpless and vulnerable victims as possible
‘I find myself now unconsciously searching the faces of little girls that I see on the streets distressed when a face triggers a memory of a photo or a video of a little girl that I glimpsed in his collection.
‘These little girls have lost their innocence, their childhood and their control. These little girls would not have been abused if people like my ex-husband did not provide a market for that abuse.’
She also expressed her view that a ‘few months in jail’ and being on the child sex offender list was not enough of a punishment given the seriousness of the crimes committed.
‘I have no regrets as a mother or a wife in reporting and exposing this dreadful crime, which occurred in the privacy of my home.
‘My son Terrence has no regrets either, but make no mistake, our lives were turned upside down the day of the discovery.
‘We were gutted. My marriage ended instantly and I left home the day I made that discovery and I have not returned to the family home since, except to pick up belongings.
‘I have no intention of returning to the house which now holds such haunting memories or to the marriage.
‘I ceased all support the day I discovered that Gary had perpetrated such a horrendous crime.
‘Unfortunately, in true felonious style, he has used our time apart to abuse me, financially, emotionally and psychologically.
‘He has refused to give me a property settlement or access to any assets, leaving me with continued unstable accommodation
‘He has contacted my son repeatedly, who he had little interest in or investment in previously and he has resisted signing divorce papers.’
Dr Carling-Jenkins’ former husband Gary has been convicted and jailed for possessing child exploitation images in the family home, she said
Dr Carling-Jenkins said her marriage ended the moment she and her son discovered her ex-husband’s child porn collection
She added: ‘In this discovery, I personally viewed deeply distressing images which have caused me immediate and ongoing anguish.
‘Gary was initially picked up based on witness statements my son and I provided to the police, these statements were recorded shortly after our discovery.
‘I want to make one thing clear, I had no idea prior to February 2016 that my husband was addicted to child pornography.
‘I had believed for a long time that he was suffering from a mental illness and I had attempted on numerous occasions to get him help.
‘However, Gary had consistently rebuffed or sabotaged these attempts and I thought at the time that was another symptom of a mental illness.’
She continued: ‘Gary does not have a mental illness, his behaviours stem from something much more sinister.’
A picture shared on Twitter by a 7News reporter shows other MPs consoling her after the speech.
After being elected to parliament in the 2014 election, Dr Carling-Jenkins said she ‘refused to be a bystander’ in her maiden speech.
‘I am no William Wilberforce, but he inspires me to value conviction over comfort, tenacity over temporary gain and devotion over indifference,’ she said.
‘Like Wilberforce, I am a non-conformist. I am not a bystander; I refuse to be a bystander.
‘Under my watch there will not be silence… And so I stand here today and for the next four years as a voice for the vulnerable, a voice for the enslaved and a voice for the voiceless.’