An Illawarra truck driver busted taking photos of young girls at Wollongong Harbour was already known to police for displaying creepy behaviour towards teens at a nearby beach.
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Police arrested Michael Christopher Dale, 53, on Australia Day last year after members of the public saw him taking photos of children swimming at Wollongong Harbour.
When officers searched his phone, they discovered dozens of pictures of pre-pubescent girls in swimwear.
While those photos were deemed not to be illegal, another picture discovered on the phone and taken at the same spot a few weeks earlier, was determined to fall into the category of child abuse material.
The image was a close up of a 13-year-old girl's breast area, documents tendered to Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday said.
Dale was charged with a host of offences, however in a deal with prosecutors, agreed to plead guilty to one count of producing child abuse material and one count of possessing child abuse material.
The court heard Dale had come to the attention of police about two months earlier when a mother reported him hovering close to her two daughters, aged 11 and 14, while they swam at Towradgi Beach one afternoon.
She yelled out to her children and Dale immediately left the water and the beach.
However, one of the daughters told her mother Dale was at the beach again on January 4 and displayed similar behaviour to her and a friend.
He also asked them "nice boogie board, did Santa get that for you?"
The mum reported the encounter to lifeguards, who took a photo of Dale as he left thew beach.
Both incidents were reported to police in early January.
Meanwhile, Dale returned to the beach on January 23, this time lurking close to two sets of young girls as they played in the surf.
He only left when lifeguards intervened.
In court on Wednesday, defence lawyer Matt Kwan said Dale was already serving a 16-month prison sentence after police had discovered a litany of child abuse material on laptops seized following his Australia Day arrest.
Mr Kwan noted Dale's offending for this matter comprised the taking and retaining of the one photograph on January 5.
"The objective severity of this offending is relatively low," he said, urging the court to show a degree of leniency towards his client.
However, Magistrate Michael O'Brien said Dale's behaviour during the two months had caused "a great deal of concern to members of the public".
"It suggests an unhealthy interest [in children]," he said.
"It's a disturbing course of behaviour."
He sentenced Dale to three months jail, which will be served alongside his current prison term.
Dale will be eligible for release on parole in May next year.
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