Father who filmed himself raping daughter, collected child abuse material awaits ACT Supreme Court sentencing

The 37-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced the ACT Supreme Court on Monday after previously pleading guilty to 24 charges.

They include persistent sexual abuse of a child, four counts of incest, seven counts of an act of indecency on a child and seven counts of using a child to produce exploitation material.

The former public servant produced a total of 94 child abuse material images and videos that involved his daughter around the time she was two.

Metadata suggests the files, some of which record the man raping his daughter, were created between January and August 2018 at the family's home.

The man's son, who was nearly four at the time, can be seen in the background of two child abuse material images.

Along with samples of the father's recordings, prosecutor Skye Jerome asked the court to seal evidence titled "The Paedophile's Handbook", a file downloaded onto the man's computer in January last year.

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"It's not in the public interest for [the handbook] to be an exhibit that can be accessed," Ms Jerome said.

The details of the computer file were not disclosed in court for this reason but, as an example of its content, the prosecutor said it included advice on how to speak with police if caught with child abuse material.

The man also pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to access child pornography material and two counts of possessing child exploitation material.

Agreed facts tendered to the court state the offender was found with a total of 15,992 images and videos identified as child abuse material, including the ones he produced.

That material depicted more than 800 unique child victims aged between two months and 14 years old.

The man could be seen holding his face, looking down at the floor, crying and rocking back and forth in the dock on Friday while details of his offending were discussed in court.

Ms Jerome told the court the charges that involved the man's daughter were in the worst category of the type of offending, with the toddler being at a "tender age".

"She was totally defenceless during a significant period of time," the prosecutor said.

"It was a serious and gross breach of trust."

She described the offending as "premeditated, predatory and for sexual gratification".

Defence barrister Katrina Musgrove, instructed by solicitor Adrian McKenna, said there was no evidence her client had read "The Paedophile's Handbook".

She claimed he had downloaded it but never accessed it.

Ms Musgrove said the man had good prospects of rehabilitation and he showed remorse through his pleas of guilty, which spared his family needing to give evidence in court.

"This could have been a complex and difficult trial for all to endure," she said.

Ms Jerome said the court should be guarded about the offender's rehabilitation prospects.

The man was initially arrested and granted bail in February 2022 before being remanded in custody in May 2022 once further charges were laid against him.

He initially denied to police having ever assaulted or abused his children.

As of the time the agreed facts were produced for the court, the man had spent a total of 400 days in custody relating to the offences.

Justice David Mossop is set to deliver his sentence on Thursday.

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