Australia
An ex-federal police officer who accessed child pornography over the internet is pleading not to be sent to jail.
Michael Edward Hatch, 38, has pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to using a carriage service to access child pornography between May last year and his arrest in March.
He was caught in the global investigation codenamed Operation Centurion which has so far netted more than 100 Australians.
Hatch's lawyer, John Purnell, SC, on Thursday argued for a suspended sentence, saying the ex-cop was seeking counselling and sending him to jail would be "disastrous for his rehabilitation".
"Depression best accounts for his behavior in accessing child pornography," Mr Purnell told the court.
Evidence from two psychologists showed Hatch wasn't a pedophile, he said.
During sentencing submissions last week, Hatch told the court that working for the Australian Federal Police had contributed to his becoming depressed and withdrawing from family and friends.
He said he accessed child pornography because it was "a challenge".
But Magistrate Karen Fryar said that explanation seemed "almost unbelievable" and asked Hatch why he didn't access legal websites for a challenge.
Crown prosecutor Jon White said only a full-time jail term would be appropriate.
There was no evidence showing the stress of police work could lead to accessing child porn, he said.
Indeed, the fact he was a police officer "in a privileged position" made his crime even more serious.
Hatch had failed to acknowledge the source of his problems and his motivation for accessing the images, Mr White said, adding that a custodial sentence was necessary for "specific deterrence".
"Hatch has an unacknowledged and therefore untreated issue accessing child pornography," he said.
The former officer, who is now working for his family's cabinet-making business, will be sentenced in July.
He is living with his parents and his girlfriend.
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Sick Ass Pedophile!!! Take your crying ass to jail, and shut the fuck up!!
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