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Man convicted of child porn after saving nude images of stepdaughter to give to police

A Victorian man has been convicted of possessing child pornography after he kept nude photographs of his stepdaughter that she had sent to her boyfriend because he wanted police to take action.

Ashan Ortell, 57, said he only kept the images of the teenage girl to show police, but after failing to adhere to advice to delete the images, he was arrested.

In the Victoria Country Court, Judge Jane Patrick sentenced Ortell to a 12-month good behaviour bond for copying 18 images onto a computer and USB drive.

The girl was aged 15 at the time.

The court heard the concerned parent had previously reported the images to police and the girl’s school but he was unsatisfied with the response, The Age reported.

Ortell pleaded guilty in the Victoria County Court. Photo: Google Maps
Ortell pleaded guilty in the Victoria County Court. Photo: Google Maps

He kept a copy of the images in the hopes of further action being taken.

After refusing to delete the images, police raided Ortell’s home in 2013 and seized a computer and storage device.

Judge Patrick described the situation as a “very unusual case”.

"You kept the images, I am satisfied, because you were very concerned about what had been going on and foolishly decided that this was the way to deal with it,” she told Ortell.

"There is no suggestion of any exploitation of them by anybody. You made no attempt to conceal the images.

"In fact you were so concerned that you contacted the authorities about the images."

Under Australian law, sexually explicit images of children may not be kept.

Ortell faced a maximum of five years in prison, however given the nature of his intentions and his clear criminal record, Judge Patrick placed him on a good behaviour bond.

Ortell pleaded guilty to the charges and was placed on the sex offenders register, where he must comply to the regulations for the next eight years.

The requirements state that he is not allowed to work with children and must regularly report his whereabouts to police.

News break – October 10