A man who paid underage girls to send him child abuse material has been jailed for his “unsophisticated but manipulative” offending.
Jacob Charles Keele, 22, will spend 15 months behind bars before he is released back into the community on a two-year recognisance order.
His family cried and consoled each other as he was sentenced in the Victorian County Court today.
Keele was aged 18 when he began messaging teenage girls on Snapchat and offering payment for explicit photos and videos.
Over the course of two years, Keele sought out 10 victims aged between 14 and 17, and accumulated 116 images and 103 videos.
Judge Fiona Todd noted Keele had used his real name on his Snapchat account, as well as his legitimate bank account for the dozens of payments.
“Your offending was a curious mix of unsophisticated but very persistent and manipulative,” the judge said in sentencing.
Judge Todd accepted Keele had experienced social isolation and bullying at school due to his obesity and impairments with hearing and vision.
He turned towards online pornography and then paid for adult content when he was seeking more of a connection, but that became too expensive.
Keele instead moved to Snapchat where young girls were more “obliging” and likely to cost less, the judge noted.
She accepted a psychologist’s findings that Keele did not have a paraphilic disorder, instead he had the misguided belief he was in the same cohort as the teenage girls.
Keele’s prospects of rehabilitation were good and his time in jail would be difficult but it was important to deter his crimes to the community, Judge Todd said.
She sentenced Keele to 33 months’ jail, but he will be released on a recognisance release order after 15 months.
Once released, he will have to be of good behaviour for two years.
Keele will also be on the sex offenders register for life.
For support call Lifeline 13 11 14, Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25), 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028.
