A young Tasmanian dad “disgusted with himself” for becoming obsessed with child exploitation material in his late teens will most likely avoid a stint in prison.
Warning: This story contains references to child sexual abuse that may distress some readers.
Andrew Lewis Muller, 25, began downloading the videos found by police on a portable hard drive when he was 16-years-old.
Chief Justice Alan Blow said Muller had a “particular interest in girls aged under 5 years” and kept his 1,224 images and videos in numerical order based on the ages of the featured children.
The depraved files showed men with the children, with the court hearing some reportedly had “obvious signs of distress on their faces” and others were “restrained with ropes and straps, or were blindfolded”.
Muller was charged in 2023, more than 16 months after police searched his home following a tip-off from the mother of his young daughter.
He told investigators at the time he “did not enjoy looking at the material” anymore now that he was in his 20s and “had not looked at it for years”.
“He said that he did not delete the material because he did not want to look at it again or touch the devices containing it and wanted to forget about it,” Chief Justice Blow said.
“In the circumstances, it would be inappropriate to send him to prison today. However possession of child exploitation material must always be treated as a very serious matter because of the terrible harm that is suffered by the exploited children.”
Justice Blow said the possibility of Muller re-offending “cannot be ruled out” and placed his name on the Sex Offender’s Register.
Muller received a suspended six-month prison sentence and a community correction order.
Help is available if this story has raised concerns for you:
1800 RESPECT national helpline on 1800 737 732
Sexual Assault Counselling Australia on 1800 211 028
Bravehearts (support for child sexual abuse survivors) on 1800 272 831
Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380
Lifeline (24 hour crisis line) on 131 114
