A child sex offender is almost certain to keep committing crimes, a court has heard after he allegedly "squandered" a chance at freedom by going back to his old ways within a week of being released from jail.
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"No individuals would have a higher risk [of reoffending]," federal prosecutor Cecilia Pascoe told the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday.
She was speaking about Patrick Jim Ramsay-Feeney, who was applying for bail just shy of a month after he was remanded in custody on a charge of using a carriage service for child abuse material.
Ms Pascoe tendered to the court a copy of the 34-year-old Canberra man's ongoing intensive correction order, which was imposed by Justice John Burns on January 20.
Justice Burns sentenced Ramsay-Feeney that day to a backdated term of more than nine months behind bars for two previous child abuse material offences before handing down the community-based order for a third, allowing the offender to leave prison.
Those offences involved the disability support pensioner being busted in possession of 5370 child abuse material files in 2019.
He was back in the community for a little more than six months before being arrested again in early August and charged over his latest alleged offending, which police claim began just five days after he was set free.
An ACT Corrective Services officer allegedly spotted "suspect images" of children on Ramsay-Feeney's phone when the 34-year-old attended an appointment as part of his intensive correction order.
This was reported to police, and officers subsequently seized two phones from Ramsay-Feeney.
Investigating officers allegedly found he had used a web browser to search for child abuse material with terms like "best CP" and "pre-teen girls nude".
Ramsay-Feeney is said to have told police "CP" meant "child porn", allegedly disclosing that he looked at such material because of "mental pain".
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The unemployed man declined the assistance of Legal Aid on Friday and chose to represent himself in his application for bail.
"I just wanted to get out so I can serve the rest of my [intensive correction order] and so I can work on a plan with my close friends, as well as my family, so I won't get into trouble again," he said over the phone from the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Ms Pascoe urged Magistrate James Lawton to refuse the application, noting there was a presumption against bail because Ramsay-Feeney had previously been convicted of a federal child sex offence.
She said recent legislative amendments around repeat offending meant he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of four years in jail if convicted of the latest charge.
The 34-year-old's previous offending had been "very serious", she added, saying he had landed back behind bars on remand after demonstrating "a manifest inability to comply with the terms of his sentence".
"He squandered that opportunity [to not be in jail] when he reoffended one week into the [intensive correction order]," Ms Pascoe told the court.
The prosecutor argued Ramsay-Feeney continued to pose a risk of accessing child abuse material, fuelling the market for it and incentivising those who were physically abusing children to keep doing so.
"The defendant's likelihood of reoffending is almost certain," she said.
Mr Lawton decided to refuse bail, saying Ramsay-Feeney's desire to plan against reoffending was commendable but not enough to justify his release.
The magistrate noted the 34-year-old had "made partial admissions" to police, while the mandatory minimum sentence he might face created a risk of him failing to return to court if released.
Ramsay-Feeney is due back in court on October 1.
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