A NEWCASTLE man who unwittingly told an undercover police officer about sexual acts he wished to perform on a child - believing he was speaking with the mother of a young girl - has been given a two-and-a-half-year jail term.
James Kendall Newton, 42, was sentenced in Newcastle District Court on Thursday afternoon for trying to procure a child under 16 for sex, and for transmitting child abuse material.
The Mayfield man was formally convicted in Newcastle District Court on Tuesday after he re-affirmed guilty pleas he previously entered in the local court.
According to a statement of agreed facts, Newton began chatting online with someone he thought was the 36-year-old mother of a nine-year-old girl in September 2022.
However, he was actually engaging with an undercover police officer as part of a sting set up to catch online predators.
Newton sent repeated messages to the officer over the next three months, describing acts of sexual abuse he wished to perform on the child - believing he was referring to the woman's daughter.
He tried to get her to say she would take part in the abuse, telling her he was "keen to share" the "princess".
The exchanges stopped on December 12, 2022, and Newton was arrested by Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad detectives in February, 2023.
They seized two smart phones, a tablet and a laptop. Forensic examination of the devices uncovered two videos containing child abuse material.
According to the statement of facts, Newton received the videos as "previews" for footage he planned to buy online.
The facts also said he had agreed to purchase a link containing more than 1700 child abuse material videos.
The sentence handed down by Judge Peter McGrath on Thursday was backdated to account for time he has spent in custody since he was charged.
Newton received a six-month jail sentence for the transmitting child abuse material charge, which will be served at the same time as the longer prison term.
He will be released from jail in January, 2025, to serve the remaining 10 months of his sentence under the supervision of Community Corrections. He will also be required to be of good behaviour.
