A COURT has heard a Tamworth woman kept explicit images of children as young as 10 years old on her phone with the intention to report the pictures to the police.
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Sharmain Ayres appeared in Tamworth Local Court where she was sentenced for possessing child abuse material.
The 28-year-old's defence solicitor Paul Lewis told the court Ayres thought the people in the pictures were "young adults", and she did not seek out the images.
"They were not requested by her, they were not sourced by her," Mr Lewis said.
"They were unsolicited and delivered to her via text messages.
"That's how the images came to be on her phone."
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The court heard police found 11 pictures and two videos on Ayres' phone, showing children aged between 10 and 15.
She was charged with possessing child abuse material between 12pm on May 10, 2022, and 8am on May 11, 2022, following an investigation by Oxley police.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) solicitor Andrew Passlow told the court there were at least 12 child victims in the photos.
"The nature of the images themselves are very serious," Mr Passlow said.
Mr Lewis told the court Ayres had kept the images on her phone to show them to the police, but the specific sergeant was not on duty when she tried to report the pictures.
"There's no evidence she has disseminated these images any further," Mr Lewis said.
The court heard the 28-year-old had a difficult upbringing, and struggled with health issues.
Magistrate Julie Soars told the court Ayres had nothing on her criminal record, and she would be safe to serve a sentence in the community.
She convicted the 28-year-old and sentenced her to an 18-month supervised good behaviour order.
Ms Soars added the condition she must not be in the company of any person under the age of 16 unless with an approved responsible adult; and must not engage in any written or electronic communication with any person under the age of 16, unless approved.
Ayres must also complete 80 hours of community service work.
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Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly is a journalist at The Advocate. Story tips and goss can be sent to tess.kelly@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Tess Kelly is a journalist at The Advocate. Story tips and goss can be sent to tess.kelly@austcommunitymedia.com.au
