A 41-year-old Molong man will spend the next eleven months in jail after being sentenced over child pornography charges in Orange District Court yesterday.
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The man, who was supported in court by his family, was on bail when he appeared yesterday, but was taken down to the cells following the handing down of the sentence by Judge Paul Lakatos.
Judge Lakatos said the majority of the child pornography offences fell within the lowest range category, however, it was the longevity of the offences, with images downloaded over a 10-year period and stored for a length of time, which became an aggravating factor in determining the sentence.
The man first faced court in Orange in January after he came under the notice of Australian Customs for another matter and the Australian Federal Police became involved in the investigation.
The man will serve concurrent sentences for a combination of state and federal charges.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Lakatos said he took into account the man’s personal history and reports from psychologists and the Department of Corrective Services.
“This is a significant wake-up call for him and will be an opportunity (for the accused) to reassess,” Judge Lakatos said.
“If he applies himself he will have a modestly optimistic chance of rehabilitation.”
Judge Lakatos said he also took into consideration the man’s deep sense of guilt and shame, and his difficulty in forming friendships and relationships, which was attributed by a psychologist to an experience when he was sexually abused by a tutor when he was a high school student.
However, Judge Lakatos said he regretted there was a deficiency in the type of support and rehabilitation services available to people whose child pornography offences fell into the lowest category.