A Canberra judge has urged parents to supervise their children's internet use, after sentencing a man who claimed to have become addicted to child pornography when he was exposed to it at the age of 13.
Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson stopped short of sending the man into full-time custody, after he pleaded guilty to accessing nearly 500 child exploitation images, some of which were in the worst category of images depicting abuse.
The crimes happened between 2013 and 2017, and the man also admitted to sharing images over a three month period in 2016.
The court heard he had operated on a mobile app under the name 'brodyboy1234' and mostly traded child pornography with one other individual.
Eventually the man was caught after a sting by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who tipped off the Australian Federal Police early last year.
In her judgement, Justice Loukas-Karlsson said the case should act as a warning to parents.
"I note the offender first came across this material on the internet when he was only 13 years of age," she said.
"This should serve as a warning to all parents to supervise their children's internet access.
"The internet is not a benign educative tool as once thought. Child pornography is a depraved black hole of the internet."
Man avoids jail for 'remorse'
The court heard the man had already been seeking help from a psychologist before his arrest.
Even his partner, who was pregnant at the time he was caught, supported his efforts to reform his behaviour and acknowledged his commitment to making a lifelong change, the court heard.
"I only wish he had reached out for help sooner," she said.
A pre-sentence report noted the man now recognised the children depicted in the material had been harmed, and that he had started to understand the factors contributing to his behaviour.
Taking his remorse into account, Justice Loukas-Karlsson opted not to jail the man.
"The public shaming and humiliation of the offender that has already occurred has had, in my view, a highly deterrent personal effect," she said.
"The offender's relationship with family and friends who now know of the offences will provide ongoing specific deterrence."
He was given a three-year sentence, to be served as an Intensive Corrections Order in the community.
He will also have to complete 200 hours of community service and forfeit his mobile phones.
The sentence also requires him to continue receiving treatment.
