A HORRIFIED mother received two naked photographs of a Townsville teenage boy after borrowing her 13-year-old daughter’s mobile phone.
The woman had the device on January 26 last year when carnival worker Ace William Clarke, who was 17 at the time, messaged the digital pictures of his genitals to the girl and asked the high school student to send back a naked image.
But Clarke, who pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted indecent treatment of a child under 16 yesterday in the Townsville (Australia) District Court, instead got a phone call from the teen’s irate mother.
“The mother was angry and asked to speak with his parents and she asked him if he realised her daughter was just 13,” Crown prosecutor Kerri Fredericks said.
The teens had never met in person but came in contact when Clark was given her number by a friend.
They only had a few phone conversations, described as “chitchat”.
The defendant, who was on the show circuit in Blackwater at the time, threatened the teen’s mother that he would show people a picture of her naked daughter if she contacted police. But the woman reported the matter after questioning the girl, who denied sending a nude photograph.
No picture of that nature was ever found on the defendant’s phone.
Ms Fredericks said even though the “naked pictures” were never seen by the 13-year-old, Clark knew she was underage and showed “a lack of remorse”.
Defence lawyer Scott Geeves said his client’s picture messages were intercepted by the mother so there was “no exposure to the child”.
He argued it was common among young people to exchange such content.
Judge Stuart Durward SC agreed there was no direct impact on the complainant and that Mr Clark’s threats to the mother were “defensive due to his immaturity”.
But he warned of the perils of his behaviour with digital devices and new media.
“That sort of behaviour is prevalent in the community and courts must take appropriate action to stamp it out.”
Clark, who has spent two months in prison, was released on 15 months probation and ordered to serve 80 hours community service but had no conviction recorded.
But he remains behind bars for unrelated charges to be heard in the Townsville Magistrates Court on January 17.
By: Roanne Johnson/Townsville Bulletin
Posted on January 11, 2012
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