A New South Wales man who was a member of a global child abuse network has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years' jail for crimes a court heard were of the "worst kind".
Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find distressing
Bret Anthony Chesworth, 55, pleaded guilty to seven of nine charges earlier this year.
The guilty pleas related to the possession of child abuse material and using a carriage service to transmit and access child abuse material between March 2019 and September last year.
The Newcastle District Court heard Chesworth was caught with a series of images of children on his phone and other devices, including images of a six-month-old baby.
The two charges that were dropped included a bestiality offence against his cavoodle pet dog between December 2019 and November 2020.
Judge scathing of Chesworth
Chesworth was arrested by Australian Federal Police at his New Lambton Heights home on the outskirts of Newcastle in November last year.
He was the 15th of more than 20 suspects arrested as part of Operation Arkstone, which was established following a report from the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
In handing down his sentence, Judge Chris O'Brien said a video sent by Chesworth of an adult male raping a toddler was particularly disturbing, showing a child experiencing significant pain and distress.
The court heard another video that he sent showed a baby being sexually abused by a woman.
Judge O'Brien noted other offending included "Daddy, son" fantasies.
"All of the offending was part of an ongoing course of criminal conduct," he said.
He noted that Chesworth had wrestled with his sexuality and was forced by his Mormon father to undergo six months of homosexual conversion therapy.
The judge said Chesworth had confided in a psychologist, while awaiting sentence, that he had "paedophilic and deviant interests".
'Abhorrent, depraved' offending
The "depraved" nature of Chesworth's crimes were highlighted by Commonwealth prosecutor Sarah Short in her closing address, ahead of the sentencing.
Ms Short said Chesworth encouraged his co-offenders to commit crimes and that the children involved were extremely distressed.
She said Chesworth's offending was "abhorrent", "particularly depraved" and that the material he was caught with was of "the worst kind".
Judge O'Brien said while Chesworth had a limited criminal history, his prospects for rehabilitation were guarded.
He said the sentence reflected a 30 per cent discount for Chesworth's guilty pleas and other factors, including the impact COVID was having on inmates in the state's jails.
Due to time already served, Chesworth will be eligible for parole in May 2023.
