The creator of a sickening online game where animated children were repeatedly sexually exploited has been jailed for more than 11 years.
Alec Stephen West, 32, watched on video link from prison as Victorian County Court Judge Gerard Mullaly sentenced him for the “abhorrent” offending on Tuesday.
West pleaded guilty to creating the online game where users were encouraged to rape, sexually abuse and commit incest with children as young as 12.
If the player chose not to perform the abuse, then they “lost” and the game ended, the judge noted.
While the children were fictional, Judge Mullaly said the animations were lifelike and normalised the abuse of young children.
“The scope and spread of the game was enormous,” the judge said in sentencing.
The game was downloaded thousands of times and West made close to $1 million from monthly subscribers during the three-year period, the judge said.
When he was arrested in August 2023, the 32-year-old told police that creating and updating the game was his full-time job, and he had “found a gap in the market and exploited it”.
“You were the entrepreneur profiting from this sordid market,” Judge Mullaly said.
“Your sexualisation of children and normalisation of incest … reveals a dark aspect of your character.”
West also pleaded guilty to possessing 577 images and videos showing real children being abused, which were uncovered on devices seized from his Geelong home.
He also admitted secretly filming three of his female neighbours.
A psychologist found West had the characteristics to meet a diagnosis of paedophilic disorder, as well as traits of a narcissistic and antisocial personality.
Judge Mullaly determined West had not shown remorse or contrition but he had pleaded guilty at an early opportunity and cooperated with police.
West was sentenced to 11 years and seven months behind bars, with a non-parole period of eight years and four months.
He has already served 113 days of pre-sentence detention.
