By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A 65-year-old former shoe salesman found with “particularly depraved” sexual abuse material involving children with dogs and adults has been jailed.
After police made enquiries at his workplace, Graeme Bremner was caught deleting child abuse material in his car at Endeavour Hills shopping centre in April 2021.
His phone contained 238 images and 154 videos of abuse material, including sexual acts of adults with infants.
Bremner also pleaded guilty at the Victorian County Court to twice transmitting abuse material via the Wickr Me app on his phone.
“While the volume of material may be regarded as moderate when compared with other cases, a significant part of the material itself in this case is particularly depraved,” sentencing judge Sandra Davis stated on 6 February.
“All of it involved real children.”
In a police interview, Bremner made admissions and expressed regret and shame.
“I hate myself,” Bremner told police.
He said he was introduced to Wickr through a Facebook group.
He believed his Wickr chat mates were men in their 50 and older. Through the app, he met up with adults to have sex and watch child pornography.
The Scottish-born Bremner, who had worked as a shoe salesperson in Dandenong for 37 years, pleaded guilty at an early stage.
He had no prior convictions and hadn’t reoffended while on bail, Judge Davis said.
A psychologist report presented Bremner as a “sad, socially detached, directionless man of below average intelligence, with deficits in identity, intimacy and empathy, who has withdrawn from healthy social interactions”, Judge Davis said.
He had viewed child abuse material since his 20s, fantasising that the children were enjoying themselves.
“You told (the psychologist) that you regretted becoming involved in the online group, that having sex with children was disgusting but looking at it ‘it’s just fascination’.”
Bremner was diagnosed with a paedophilic disorder, and rated a moderate risk of reoffending online “in the context of social isolation and untreated depression and alcohol problems”.
He reportedly showed little insight into his offending and little motivation to manage his behaviour, the judge noted.
Bremner was jailed for 19 months, but released on a recognisance release order after serving six months.
Under the two-year RRO, he must pay $1000 bond and remain on good behaviour.
Bremner will be supervised by a probation officer, and undertake rehabilitation including sex offender treatment.
He must report as a registered sex offender for 15 years.
