A 40-year old man has described as 'rotten' some of the highly-sexualised social media messages he sent to his child victim.
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Christopher Mark Blackburn pleaded guilty to one charge of encouraging a child under 16 to be involved in sexual activity for his own arousal or gratification, and one charge of sexual penetration of a child under 16 in the County Court sitting in Bendigo.
He will return to court in October for further plea and sentencing.
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The court heard the child was particularly "vulnerable" and was only 13 when the offending began.
Highly sexual comments made by accused to child
CCTV in multiple central Victorian locations caught the pair together and the court also heard a sample of 147 highly sexual messages sent across three days by the accused to the victim.
He also said a "nude or two" were sent.
This sample included a comment that Blackburn "wanted to rip her clothes off", and he "could not wait for the day you find out you're two weeks late and you're pregnant with our baby".
Blackburn was confronted by several people, including the victim's mother who spoke to him multiple times. She told him to stop what she initially believed was just a close friendship.
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The court heard he had lied and told the victim's mother that there was "nothing sexual".
Ultimately he told another person that he had "really f***** up bad" and the court heard when another witness called him a paedophile that "freaked him out".
Blackburn had time to consider his behaviour
Blackburn maintained that "nothing was pressured" during time spent with the victim, however Prosecutor David Cordy said there was "no doubt, time to consider what he was doing".
Prosecutor Cordy told the court the laws around consent were designed to protect children from sexual predators but also to "protect them from themselves".
Blackburn has already spent 249 days in pre-sentence detention and his defence lawyer Karin Temperley said he would be a registered sex offender for life.
She said he had showed genuine remorse and had made "no effort to justify his offending".
"He is disgusted with himself" and concedes "no amount of apology will undo the damage", Ms Temperley told the court.
Victim's mother 'blames' herself
The court previously heard a victim impact statement from the victim's mother where she said she felt "I should have seen this happening" and that she "blames" herself.
"I've lost friends, people have stopped talking to me, I feel I'm being blamed and punished for this," she said.
She called the court process "difficult" and also said she struggled to trust people.
"I wish I had have picked up on this sooner," her statement read.
"I hope we can move forward one day."
If you or someone you know needs support, contact:
- Lifeline 13 11 14
- 1800 RESPECT, 1800 737 732
- Talk it Out, 1300 022 946, talkitoutmurray.org.au
- BeyondBlue on 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au
- Headspace Bendigo, 5406 1400, headspace.org.au/
- If life is in danger call Triple Zero (000).
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Lucy Williams
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
