A self-styled "image consultant" was recently attacked with hot wax in a Canberra nightclub after news of his child abuse crimes went public, the ACT Supreme Court has heard.
Defence lawyer Andrew Fraser on Friday played CCTV footage of a woman throwing something at Bradley Payne-Moore, who has admitted possessing a horrific video of a girl being raped and murdered.
Mr Fraser told the court whatever was launched at Payne-Moore included the hot wax, which had "left some blisters" on the 32-year-old's hands.
"My instructions are that the person who threw the material at Mr Payne-Moore was speaking about the [court] case," he said.
Mr Fraser argued this was a form of "extra-curial punishment" as he claimed Payne-Moore should be spared time behind bars.
He said it would be better for both the community and Payne-Moore, who has pleaded guilty to charges of possessing and accessing child abuse material, if the 32-year-old was sentenced to an intensive correction order.
Mr Fraser said Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson could make Payne-Moore complete up to 550 hours of community service.
"[That] would allow him to serve the community his actions have offended," the lawyer said.
Federal prosecutor David Bloomfield argued, however, that a period of full-time imprisonment was required, and Mr Fraser conceded Payne-Moore was "looking squarely at" that possibility.
Justice Loukas-Karlsson told the offender she would sentence him on June 23.
"You must understand how serious this is," she said.
"These sorts of offences are abhorred by the community and they must be deterred."
