A former Wollongong basketball coach who pestered teenage girls to send him sexual photos and videos of themselves will learn his sentence in a week's time.
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Jaydon Beveridge, 24, faced Wollongong Local Court on Friday after pleading guilty to inciting a person under 16 to commit an act of indecency and intentionally inciting a child 10 years or older and under 16 years to carry out a sexual act.
At the time of the offending, Beveridge - the son of former Illawarra Hawks coach Rob Beveridge - was aged between 18 and 21, while the victims were 14 to 15.
Beveridge's lawyer Kellie Stares said her client had expressed regret for his actions prior to police laying charges against him.
While the matter was due to go to hearing, Ms Stares said, that involved other charges that were dropped and he pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to the charges that had gone ahead.
She said Beveridge described his own actions as "reckless, naive and immature" and had not tried to minimise his crimes.
Ms Stares submitted it had become a societal norm to behave in this way.
Beveridge was found to be at very low risk of reoffending, she said, and he had full-time employment.
Ms Stares told the court that Beveridge was a young man with an "unblemished history before and after these offences", and he had good prospects of rehabilitation.
Beveridge's ongoing therapy was important, she said, and a community corrections order was an appropriate sentence.
But the Crown prosecutor said one charge - which related to Beveridge making repeated requests to the victim for sexual photos and videos after adding her on Snapchat, before she relented - was in the middle of the range for seriousness.
The other offence fell "below the mid-range", she said.
The prosecutor said Beveridge's conduct was "highly inappropriate", especially given he was in a position of authority.
She said that while Beveridge claimed he thought one victim was 16 or 17, he would have known her age.
While Beveridge and his mother referred to this behaviour being normalised, the prosecutor said, that demonstrated the need for the sentence to deter others from committing similar crimes.
She said Beveridge was not entitled to the full 25 per cent discount on his sentence for pleading guilty because his pleas only came about after extensive negotiations, but Magistrate Michael Ong did not agree, because these charges had not been before the court until that point.
Beveridge was due to be sentenced on Friday but Magistrate Ong said the matter was "not uncomplicated" and adjourned sentencing for a week.
Beveridge will return to court on August 5.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
