A man found with child porn on his computer will be a registered sex offender for the next 15 years, with a Wodonga magistrate noting the victims of such crimes suffer "lifelong consequences".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Baileigh Franz Ahne tried to wipe his phone when Wodonga detectives searched his Bank Street home on October 7, 2022.
An examination of two of the many seized devices found 107 illegal images and nine videos, mainly showing girls aged eight to 14 engaged in sex acts.
Items in the most serious category of child abuse material, depicting adults penetrating children, was found, and the court heard he likely had other illegal images and videos on his devices.
"This is horrible offending," magistrate Peter Dunn said on Wednesday, April 24.
"There are presumably multiple victims who will suffer lifelong consequences, and all for the greed or perverse pleasure of people who should be looking after their best interests."
The court heard Ahne himself suffered from "unresolved issues of grief" and had no criminal record.
His lawyer said Ahne was "suffering within himself" while trying to deal with his issues.
"Ordinarily in my world, this type of offending results in imprisonment, and a not insignificant term of imprisonment," Mr Dunn said.
But he noted the personal circumstances of all offenders had to be taken into account.
Mr Dunn ordered Ahne perform 120 hours of community work.
All of those hours can be swapped for treatment.
His lawyer had explored if a lesser reporting period on the sex offender register could apply, with questions asked about whether Ahne wanted to withdraw his plea, before a 15-year order was made.
