A Canberra man who pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bestiality with convicted murderer Jeffrey David Lee will not go to jail, after being sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court.
Warning: This story contains graphic content.
The court heard Mark Zonneveld, 48, first met Lee on an internet dating site, where the pair discussed cross-dressing and bestiality, and exchanged pornographic messages and images.
Since then Lee has been sentenced to jail for killing his stepfather, Neal Keith Wilkinson, in 2015 and for a string of offences in 2012, including bestiality and raping a girl under 16, who he also assaulted by spearing her in the arm, and refusing to take her to hospital.
He was also given two years jail for the charge of conspiracy to commit bestiality.
In sentencing Lee, Justice Michael Elkaim stopped short of giving explicit details he said showed the "depths of depravity" the two men had gone to.
"The specific offence is made up of the two men conspiring to carry out sexual activity with a dog," he said.
Zonneveld played down his role in the crimes, telling a pre-sentence report author that he had no sexual interest in animals, but was rather interested in the subject as "fantasy talk'" due to his romantic interest in Mr Lee, who introduced him to the subject.
Justice Elkaim rejected the claim that he had no interest in animals, citing exchanges between Zonneveld and other people in emails online, produced by the prosecution.
But he acknowledged there was a difference between Zonneveld and Lee.
"I note the important distinction with Mr Lee whose offences included a number of acts of actual bestiality," he said.
Justice Elkaim said he had to weigh up whether Zonneveld should serve time behind bars.
"The horror and detail of the actions contemplated by the conspiracy make this an offence of at least medium objective seriousness," he said.
"The imprisonment for two years of Mr Lee must be seen in the context of his overall offending.
"In addition, I think the greater likelihood is that offences involving dogs, as contemplated by the conspiracy, were more likely to have been performed by Mr Lee."
Zonneveld was sentenced to two years in jail, but that was suspended, and he will serve a two-year good behaviour order.
Lee will not be eligible for parole until 2026, and his current sentence will not expire until 2032.
