Sydney Morning Herald
August 6, 2010
An Australian tried to hide in Cambodia after police seized a huge stash of child pornography from his Queensland home, a court has been told.
Robbie Neils Berry, 54, had almost 130,000 child abuse images, videos and stories in his house at Daintree, in far north Queensland, when police raided the property in November 2008, the Brisbane District Court was told on Friday.
During the raid, police seized 10 external computer hard drives and several CDs containing the offensive material.
The court was told the material featured children aged between one and 17, most of it in the lowest category of seriousness.
Commonwealth prosecutor Anthony Gett told the court Berry was in Thailand at the time of the raid, and that he subsequently made his way to Cambodia.
The court was told he emailed relatives saying he was aware police had seized "a stack of stuff that is illegal" from his home, and that he intended to hide out in Asia.
But in February 2009 he was arrested in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, where he spent more than eight months in detention awaiting his extradition to Australia.
Berry was the first person to be extradited to Australia for prosecution under Commonwealth online child sex laws that came into effect in 2005.
When he arrived in Brisbane in October, he was charged with possessing child pornography, using a carriage service provider to access child pornography and using a carriage service provider to make child porn available.
He pleaded guilty to all charges on Friday.
The court was told his offending came to light after Australian Federal Police received a tip-off from police in Brazil, who had been searching the file sharing application eMule for illegal activity.
Berry's internet provider address was identified as having transmitted child abuse files in July 2007.
Judge Tony Rafter sentenced Berry to two-and-a-half years' jail, but ordered he be released immediately on a three-year good behaviour bond and two years' probation.
Berry has already served almost 18 months in pre-sentence custody in Australia and Cambodia.
August 6, 2010
An Australian tried to hide in Cambodia after police seized a huge stash of child pornography from his Queensland home, a court has been told.
Robbie Neils Berry, 54, had almost 130,000 child abuse images, videos and stories in his house at Daintree, in far north Queensland, when police raided the property in November 2008, the Brisbane District Court was told on Friday.
During the raid, police seized 10 external computer hard drives and several CDs containing the offensive material.
The court was told the material featured children aged between one and 17, most of it in the lowest category of seriousness.
Commonwealth prosecutor Anthony Gett told the court Berry was in Thailand at the time of the raid, and that he subsequently made his way to Cambodia.
The court was told he emailed relatives saying he was aware police had seized "a stack of stuff that is illegal" from his home, and that he intended to hide out in Asia.
But in February 2009 he was arrested in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, where he spent more than eight months in detention awaiting his extradition to Australia.
Berry was the first person to be extradited to Australia for prosecution under Commonwealth online child sex laws that came into effect in 2005.
When he arrived in Brisbane in October, he was charged with possessing child pornography, using a carriage service provider to access child pornography and using a carriage service provider to make child porn available.
He pleaded guilty to all charges on Friday.
The court was told his offending came to light after Australian Federal Police received a tip-off from police in Brazil, who had been searching the file sharing application eMule for illegal activity.
Berry's internet provider address was identified as having transmitted child abuse files in July 2007.
Judge Tony Rafter sentenced Berry to two-and-a-half years' jail, but ordered he be released immediately on a three-year good behaviour bond and two years' probation.
Berry has already served almost 18 months in pre-sentence custody in Australia and Cambodia.
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