An ex-diplomat and former Canberra university lecturer will spend three months behind bars after admitting to "vile" child pornography offences, a court has heard.
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In his sentencing remarks in court on Thursday, Justice Michael Elkaim said he'd considered Anthony Raymond Mitchener's subjective circumstances - but their significance "paled" in comparison with the "horror" of his crimes.
Before Mitchener, 59, pleaded guilty to transmitting child exploitation material available and being in possession of it in July 2019, his friends and family described him as a "very decent man of high morals and values", Justice Elkaim told the ACT Supreme Court.
He had stable employment as a management consultant, and served as the ACT chair of the Australia Indonesia Business Council.
The court heard Mitchener was stressed about money, the amount of time his wife was spending overseas, and having to compete for her attention when he "sought refuge" in adult pornography.
Mitchener's defence barrister, John Purnell, earlier said that had "led" him to child pornography, but Justice Elkaim said the transition would never be justified.
Of the 226 explicit images of children Mitchener sent himself on his home computer from July 2017 until police seized his devices in November 2018, 33 fell into the highest category of seriousness, Justice Elkaim said.
The court previously heard Mitchener's young children used the same computer to watch Baby Shark, and occasionally came into the room while he was on the computer.
Justice Elkaim said he saw only a sample of the images police seized at Mitchener's Isaacs home. They would have caused the children pictured "humiliation", "horror", and "long-term damage", he said.
"One cannot look at material of this type and not be influenced by their impact.
"Their possession displays a depravity which is alien to normal human behaviour."
Justice Elkaim said the facts in Mitchener's case demanded a jail term.
He sentenced Mitchener to a total of 12 months imprisonment, to end on December 8, 2020. The jail sentence would be suspended after three months, with Mitchener required to comply with a good behavior order or risk going back to jail.