Jail 'inevitable' for child porn ex-detective

A former policeman "with a deep dark secret" involving child pornography was living a double life and it was only a matter of time before his world came crumbling down, a court was told.

Lynton John Moore, a 30-year-old former detective first class constable, was today warned by District Court Judge Ron Birmingham that a jail term was "almost inevitable" when he is sentenced next week for possessing child exploitation material and failing to obey a data access order.

In sentencing submissions this morning, defence lawyer Mark Andrews told the court there were "two different Lynton Moores, each of whom is impossible to reconcile with the other" - the ambitious police officer and basketball mentor from a deeply religious family and the other who had harboured a "deep dark secret" and "regrettably strayed into areas involving child pornography".

Mr Andrews said the consequences of Moore's offending had been catastrophic.

He had lost his reputation, career and standing in the community and prison would be particularly hard for the former policeman who would most likely have to be housed in a segregated unit, Mr Andrews said.

The court was told thousands of images and videos were found on several devices police seized when they searched Moore's home in June.

He told police he could not remember the passwords for the encrypted files and said he had last accessed them about two months before they were seized - but the computer crime squad discovered the files had been accessed two days before the devices were seized.

Mr Andrews said child pornography was "far from a victimless crime" and Moore was "acutely aware of the impact of his offending".

Judge Birmingham told Moore he had to view the material before he could sentence and warned him a jail term was "almost inevitable" when he is sentenced next week.