McCoole sentenced to 35 years in prison
Convicted child abuser and former Families SA carer Shannon Grant McCoole will spend at least 28 years behind bars.
He was sentenced in Adelaide today to 35 years in prison with a 28 year non-parole period.
Shannon McCoole sentenced to 35 yrs for state offences of sexual abuse of children @7NewsAdelaide pic.twitter.com/O8mp1jhXTv
— Michelle Vella (@MichelleVella7) August 7, 2015
The 32-year-old pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges including unlawful sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, gross indecency as well as producing, dissemination and possession of child exploitation material.
During his trial, the court heard McCoole had run a child exploitation website and had offended against children aged as young as 18 months old.
He photographed his crimes and shared them on the international website, of which he was an administrator.
Those in court to see the pedophile sentenced today gasped as details of his crimes were read out.
Judge is very guarded about McCoole's long term prospects of rehabilitation. @7NewsAdelaide pic.twitter.com/oCfcAblThV
— Michelle Vella (@MichelleVella7) August 7, 2015
The offending happened between January 2011 and June 2014 while McCoole was employed by Families SA.
He was caring for children in a government-run residential facility and an Out of School Hours Care service.
Families SA carer Shannon McCoole sentence. One victim family member storms out of court upset. @7NewsAdelaide pic.twitter.com/QkF2sFjLaw
— Michelle Vella (@MichelleVella7) August 7, 2015
The discovery of McCoole's offending led to the establishment of a royal commission into South Australia's child protection system, led by former Supreme Court justice Margaret Nyland.
More to come...