By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A registered sex offender who denied holding sexually-explicit online chats with a 17-year-old girl has been refused bail.
Richard Kelly had been accused of having the chats since January and while knowing the girl’s age at the time.
During one conversation, Kelly sent an explicit video of himself, Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard on 11 September.
He was on a community corrections order at the time.
Kelly was also accused of failing to inform police after he moved out of a Doveton house and then a Dandenong boarding house in rapid succession in August.
He had also allegedly used up to five email accounts that hadn’t been disclosed to police.
On 10 September, Kelly was arrested by Greater Dandenong SOCIT police officers at a Carrum Downs friend’s place.
Up to that point, police allegedly had been unable to locate him for more than two weeks, the court was told.
Kelly had also recently failed to turn up to his compulsory drug treatment appointments.
The bail applicant denied he’d had contact with the friend’s three children who lived at the address, informant Leading Senior Constable Allison Goff told the court.
He claimed that he’d visited the address for meals and showers, but had never lived there.
“(Kelly) has been friends with this person for over 20 years and been attending the house on a regular basis for two weeks,” LSC Goff said.
“I find it highly unlikely (that he’s had no contact with the children).”
During a police interview, Kelly admitted to using about 0.15 grams of ice a fortnight – as well as cannabis – and to “occasionally” trafficking drugs, LSC Goff said.
In seeking bail, Kelly nominated a Frankston North address. It was found unsuitable by police due to the occupant’s criminal history as well as grandchildren visiting the address, LSC Goff said.
Defence lawyer Adrian Dessi said Kelly was not charged for any contact with children, other than for not reporting his online chat to police.
It was the first time Kelly had been in custody and was entitled to the presumption of bail, Mr Dessi said.
In July 2016, Kelly was registered on the state’s sex offender registry for life, the court heard.
Since then he has been serving a 30-month community corrections order for possessing child pornography and soliciting a child under 16 for sex.
In refusing bail, magistrate Jack Vandersteen said he was concerned about Kelly’s lack of suitable abode, lack of available drug treatment and his “surreptitious” behaviour.
In all, Mr Vandersteen rated Kelly as an unacceptable risk of re-offending on bail.
Kelly’s use of unreported email addresses was “exactly how children can be approached by strangers in their own home”, the judge said.
“There’s only one email which uses his proper name. All the other email addresses give him some anonymity.”
Kelly was remanded in custody to appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 4 October.
