A MAN who used to sit in a Gunnedah park to download child pornography has narrowly escaped jail.
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Brian Edward Rankmore told police he had no internet at his house and used to travel into a park near the Gunnedah CBD to use free wi-fi before he downloaded thousands of images onto his computers.
According to police facts, Rankmore “admitted that he has been downloading the images for a couple of years”.
Rankmore came under the watch of police in late September last year after he took a computer to a local technician for repairs.
The technician had concerns about child pornography material, according to the case facts, and told the 52-year-old his hard drive needed to be wiped for repairs before Rankmore refused and collected the laptop.
Oxley detectives were alerted to the incident and raided Rankmore’s home on October 1 before he handed officers three laptop computers, a disc, mobile phone and toggle internet connection.
The items were seized and were sent away for testing by a specialist police unit. Forensic investigators discovered more than 25,000 images on devices seized from Rankmore including explicit images of children.
Rankmore fronted Gunnedah police station in November last year and was arrested before he made full admissions “that they all contained child abuse material”.
He pleaded guilty to six counts of possessing child abuse material in March this year.
In a sentencing hearing in Tamworth Local Court this week, Magistrate Michael Holmes said the offences were serious.
He ordered the accused serve out a two year suspended sentence in the community with strict conditions.
Magistrate Holmes also ordered Rankmore not to possess any computer or electronic devices capable of downloading material.