INFO:

A 22-year-old Yarrabah man has avoided jail despite being caught with hundreds of videos of child-exploitation material including footage involving children as young as two. Jonathan Strafford pleaded guilty in Cairns District Court to one charge of possessing child exploitation material after police discovered 377 videos and 60 images on his mobile phone in May last year. Crown prosecutor Kurt Macdonald told the court Strafford’s “despicable” offending was uncovered by Task Force Argos, the Queensland Police Service branch that investigates online child exploitation. The material was classified in the worst category according to the Interpol baseline. “Concerningly, those images display a wide variety of children ranging in age from two to 15 years old, and depicted the rape of both male and female children,” Mr Macdonald said. The prosecutor noted file names included “PMOM, which effectively stands for Paedophile mom” and challenged a psychologist’s assessment that Strafford posed only a low to moderate risk of reoffending. “[The report writer] rather boldly opines that it was a matter of time before he began accessing child exploitation material as he became desensitised to regular pornography and intrigued by taboo pornography,” Mr Macdonald said. “And still says he is a low to moderate risk of reoffending.” Defence counsel Kelly Goodwin argued for probation, citing Strafford’s youth, early plea and lack of criminal history. “He suffers from anxiety and depression and reports he suffers from PTSD after a car accident,” Mr Goodwin said, adding that his client “recognised what he was doing was wrong”. Judge Ken Barlow KC directly addressed Strafford, emphasising the real harm behind the material. Despite the gravity of the offence, Justice Barlow accepted defence submissions and sentenced Strafford to two years’ probation, noting psychiatric assistance could reduce risk to the community.