A Sydney man who confessed to sending indecent material to a child has denied possessing or controlling child abuse material after Australian authorities received a tip-off from an overseas centre for missing and exploited children.
John Leslie Morton, 42, was arrested by Australian Federal Police detectives at a Hillsdale apartment block in July 2020 after the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children accused of him of being involved in the uploading of child abuse material to an email account.
In Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday, Morton, who is on bail, pleaded guilty to three charges of using a carriage service to transmit indecent material to a person he believed to be aged under 16.
According to court documents, the indecent material was sent through a carriage service in July 2020 shortly before Morton’s arrest.
After pleading guilty to the indecent material offences, Morton indicated he would plead not guilty to a further three child abuse material charges.
Police allege Morton was in the possession of child abuse material accessed through a carriage service between April 2019 and February 2020.
The other charges Morton has pleaded not guilty to relate to his alleged possession of child abuse material in July 2020 just before he was arrested.
Magistrate Susan Close accepted the pleas and xjmtzywsaid a date for sentencing would need to be set in the NSW District Court in relation to the indecent material charges, while a trial date for the child abuse material charges would need to be arranged.
The case will next be dealt with in the District Court in April.
