ACT News

Canberra man claimed anyone who denied being attracted to kids 'is lying'

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A Flynn man who told police anyone who denied being attracted to children "is lying" has been sentenced to prison for possessing and sending child pornography.

In October 2015, William Noel Arthur, 31, was arrested after he was caught in a Queensland police online sting, during which he sent an officer 25 photos and one video.

The AFP later took over and searched his Flynn home.

In November 2016, Arthur pleaded guilty to two counts of transmitting and one of possessing child pornography. The offences covered a period between 2012 and 2015.

In an interview with police in October 2016, which was referred to by Acting Justice David Robinson in sentencing on Monday, Arthur was asked if he was sexually attracted to children.

"Anyone who tells you they are not is lying. Would I ever act on it? No," Arthur replied. "It's a biological imperative for the male species to be attracted to a younger, younger mate."

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A corrective services report further said Arthur "minimised his actions by claiming he harmed no one and that child exploitation material will always exist and should therefore not be a focus for law enforcement.

"He expressed no sympathy for the children in the images and claimed victimisation is beneficial for the human race."

The judge found Arthur had poor prospects for rehabilitation.

"In particular, I refer to the facts that the offender is now 31-years-old, he has been previously imprisoned for the same offence for which he is to be sentenced, he is not committed to helping himself [lessen] the impact of alcoholism [on] his life and his perception of his own activities and thought process appear to be entrenched in a belief that his actions and thoughts are rationally and morally defenisible."

His guilty pleas to these three offences meant Arthur had breached two good behaviour orders from 2011 and 2015.

He was sentenced on Monday to serve nearly two years in prison, with the rest of the more than three year sentence of imprisonment suspended on Arthur entering into a $500 recognisance order for two years.

He will be eligible for release in September.