A MAN caught with child abuse material described by police as disturbing was sent to jail for four months on Monday.
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On May 4, police seized 69,247 images from Anthony Paul Martin’s computer at his North Haven home.
The 49-year-old pleaded guilty to seven counts of possessing child abuse material in relation to more than 400 images, videos and other material investigated by police.
On November 8 last year, Martin uploaded some of the images to a printing company’s website, to create two mouse pads, which he ordered. On November 11, he uploaded more images. Martin created a calendar with images on December 18 and again on December 23.
The order was quality checked by the company’s staff, who were concerned with the content and handed it to Sunshine Police Station in Victoria.
The police sent the material to Port Macquarie detectives in late April this year. When the detectives conducted the search on May 4, Martin said the pictures were in his bedroom.
He tried to shut down his computer but was stopped by detectives, who instructed him not to touch anything.
Police seized the mouse pads, calendars, ornaments, posters, 67 video cassettes, 38 DVDs, 90 magazines and Martin’s computer and laptop. Detectives discovered typed material they described as disturbing.
Measuring the images on the Combating Paedophile Information Networks in Europe [COPINE] scale, police believe the majority of images were level six, which is classed as explicit erotic posing, and some classed level eight, which is assault.
THE scale ranges up to 10 in severity. At Port Macquarie Local Court on Monday, Martin's lawyer said his client’s psychological issues include gender confusion disorder.
Magistrate Thomas Hodgson indicated he was considering a suspended jail sentence.
The police prosecutor expressed concern with this, highlighting the “horrific” facts.
“This is too serious a matter to have this offender in the community,” he said.
Martin will be eligible for release on April 18.
The magistrate recommended the offender is held in protective custody.