Wannabe cop caught out as child sex fiend

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https://www.news.com.au/national/victor ... 236d41434f

Wannabe cop caught out as child sex fiend
3-4 minutes

A man who dreamt of joining the police force will instead spend time in prison after he was caught by his heroes grooming children for sex.

Damir Mrse, 23, of Geelong, was caught using the social media platform Kik to send explicit messages and photos to what he thought were underage girls, the County Court of Victoria heard on Monday.

Judge Gerard Mullaly said Mrse had applied to join the police force three times and was in the process of his final application when his house was searched and he was arrested.

Police also found 1017 instances of child pornography material on his devices, including photos and videos of children being abused, the court heard.

It heard Mrse had googled the phrase “Child pornography jail time”.

Judge Mullaly said in the space of 78 minutes on November 5 last year Mrse exchanged raunchy messages with two separate undercover police officers who he thought were 15-year-old girls.

In the first conversation Mrse sent the officer four photos of his erect penis, the court heard.

Judge Gerard Mullaly said Mrse was told “from the outset” the person he was speaking to was a 15-year-old girl, and he “immediately turned the conversation to sexual matters”.

At the same time Mrse was simultaneously messaging what he believed was another underage girl, who “as it turned out” was also an undercover police officer, Judge Mullaly said.

That conversation resulted in Mrse being charged with grooming for his attempts to convince what he thought was a child to have sex with him.

“Both conversations were crass and disturbing,” Judge Mullaly said.

He said the messages “had an aspect of persistence and generally were shameful”.

Judge Mullaly said the victims in the abuse material Mrse downloaded for his own sexual gratification were “real children”.

The judge told Mrse that the hideous child sex abuse industry “flourishes” because “men like you view and download the vile product”.

“It is paramount that vulnerable children are protected from adult men,” he said.

Judge Mullaly said Mrse has been working as a nursing assistant – before he lost his job when his hideous behaviour came to light – while he worked towards joining the police force.

He said Mrse had “always wanted” to join the force.

“Your first application was not successful due to inadequate life experience,” he said.

He said the second application failed due to an injury, and the third was being processed when Mrse’s vile private life was uncovered.

Judge Mullaly said Mrse had a partner who remained “very supportive” and Mrse had expressed “deep remorse and shame”.

He said Mrse’s parents separated when he was young due to his father’s “drinking and psychological abuse”.

Mrse was also charged because he failed to declare the social media account he was using to send sexual messages to children when he applied to join the police force.

He had pleaded guilty to six charges, including possess child abuse material, grooming, making a false statutory declaration and using a carriage service to procure a person believed to be under 16.

He was sentenced on Monday to a two-year recognisance release order, which includes nine months’ jail followed by a conditional 15 months in the community where he must be of good behaviour and complete a sexual offender course.

He will also be placed on the sex offender register for life.