An Albion Park man who used the family computer to download and store child pornography has claimed he was not sexually aroused by the material and only had it to satisfy his thrill of doing something illegal.
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Matthew Johnston, 24, was caught with more than 2,000 images of videos of child abuse material spread between his mobile phone and the hard drive linked to the family Asus computer when police raided his home on December 15 last year.
Officers had discovered Johnston’s email address linked to a Google Dropbox containing child porn in a separate investigation earlier in the year and as a result had been granted a warrant to search his Daintree Drive home.
Upon his arrest, Johnston confessed all to police, but denied he had gained “sexual gratification” from the pornography.
“It was…for the purpose of having something that I’m not meant to have and that’s where...I found the rush,” he said.
It was…for the purpose of having something that I’m not meant to have and that’s where...I found the rush
- Matthew Johnston during an interview with police
“I never went into it with the purpose of, you know, contributing to the exploitation of children or anything like that.
“I do have empathy for them but...it’s a morbid fascination...I’m deeply ashamed.”
He described the material as “taboo” and “exciting to watch”, although admitted he’d not viewed it for about a month prior to his arrest.
“It was just that I had it and that it was shocking and that’s where I found the enjoyment,” he said.
A subsequent search of the electronic devices found four offending videos on the iPhone and more than 2,000 images and videos on the computer hard drive, including a portion which fell into the highest category of abusive material.
Johnston pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child abuse material in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday.
He was remanded in custody and will face sentencing in the NSW District Court on May 20.