Eng Hock Lim, 36, pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court yesterday to three counts of possessing a false document, and attempting to obtain property by deception.

The court heard the Malaysian national tried to purchase a $2399 computer from Dick Smith Electronics in the Canberra Centre on September 23 using credit cards in the name of Raymond Wong.

According to a statement of facts, staff called police after the transactions were denied and an error message indicated the cards were fraudulent or stolen.

Lim left the store without the laptop and was arrested a short time later.

He allegedly told police the credit cards were not his and that he had come to the ACT to buy things to take to Sydney.

Officers seized a driver's licence, HSBC Visa credit card and Commonwealth Bank Mastercard, all believed to be forged and in the name of Raymond Wong.

A police statement alleged investigators later found a video on Lim's phone of a girl aged between six and 10 being sexually assaulted by a man.

Lim's lawyer said he had arrived in Australia on a tourist visa, which had expired, and intended to transfer to a student visa. The court heard an official from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, who was present in the courtroom, planned to detain Lim if he was granted bail.

Magistrate Grant Lalor said Lim had come to ''rape the business houses of Canberra'' for either his or someone else's benefit. He remanded Lim in custody until his next court appearance in December.