An ex-diplomat and Canberra university lecturer who sent himself child exploitation material 226 times said he'd "never had an attraction to children or adolescents", a court has heard.
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Federal prosecutor Alexander von Treifeldt dismissed Anthony Raymond Mitchener's claim, made to the author of a pre-sentence report, as "absurd" in court on Tuesday.
He said Mitchener, 59, from Isaacs, was motivated by sexual gratification when he emailed himself explicit images of young girls.
The ACT Supreme Court heard Mitchener used his home computer to transmit the files in 226 instances. His young children used the same computer to watch Baby Shark, and occasionally came into the room while he was on the computer, Mitchener earlier told police.
Mitchener's defence barrister, John Purnell, said there was no evidence his children could have seen the material, but Mitchener acknowledged his crimes were "disgusting", "vile", and "cause revulsion in the community".
He earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of using a carriage service to make child exploitation material available, and one charge of being in possession of child exploitation material.
Police charged Mitchener after seizing child exploitation material from his house on November 16 last year.
Mr Purnell said Mitchener "sought refuge" from stress and frustration in adult pornography, which "led" him to child pornography. He was ashamed of his actions and had lost his family as a result of them.
The court heard Mitchener started sending himself child exploitation material in July 2017, and stored the images on his devices from September 2017, until they were seized.
Mr von Treifeldt said Mitchener initially told police he searched for "mature porn", which would sometimes include images of children. He blamed the Australian Federal Police for not protecting the community from child pornography.
Mr Purnell argued Mitchener should be kept out of jail for his family's sake. It was a "big thing" for young children to have their father in jail, Mr Purnell said.
Justice Michael Elkaim replied: "It's a hell of a lot bigger thing for the kids in those pictures".
Mr Purnell said Mitchener's onerous bail conditions had cost him between $30,000 and $50,000 in income, because he was limited to one internet device and one email account for work purposes only.
Mr von Treifeldt said the conditions were a "natural consequence" of using the internet to commit serious offences, and "nothing out of the ordinary".
He submitted that Mitchener should be given jail time as was ordinarily warranted.
Mitchener is a former diplomat and ACT chair of the Australia Indonesia Business Council. He was due to be sentenced on Thursday.
Cassandra Morgan
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
