A 20-year-old man charged with child abuse material offences has faced court for the first time accused of "planning attacks" on children, a court has heard.
Christopher Alex Middleton appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with three counts related to child abuse material offences, including producing or supplying such material, alleged to have happened last November.
The charges also include controlling and using a carriage service for such material. He has not pleaded to the charges.
In a statement late last year, ACT Policing said charges were laid after a search warrant at a Harrison residence was executed by policing teams, including the ACT Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (JACET), the AFP Victim Identification Team and a specialist canine technology detection dog.
"Two laptop computers and two mobile phones that [allegedly] contained child abuse material were seized during the warrant," the police statement said.
He was given bail by police and in court on Wednesday, defence lawyer Carley Hitchins applied to vary his bail conditions, including his use of the Internet and deletion of his reporting to police.
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Commonwealth prosecutor Natasha Purvis consented to the Internet use but opposed the reporting deletion.
Ms Purvis argued that reporting was needed because of the nature of the alleged crimes, because it would remind the defendant of his bail conditions and because of the strength of the prosecution case.
Ms Purvis, whose attempt to tender a statement of police allegations was rejected by magistrate Louise Taylor, said the statement "does show that when police accessed the devices at the house, there was [allegedly] clear material, clear discussion of planning attacks on 13-year-old children".
She said that under new commonwealth sentencing regime of such offences, there was "now actual presumption of imprisonment for all three charges" if a defendant pleaded guilty or was found guilty.
She also said that COVID has hampered the ability of police to check on the defendant and his activities on his devices.
"The [alleged] offending occurred while living with his mother and father and therefore that is not a protective factor," Ms Purvis said.
However, after Ms Taylor challenged her about COVID impacts and the necessity of reporting, the prosecutor said there were no limitations on police but that it would help ensure the defendant "does not access this material through his electronic devices".
Ms Purvis also conceded that the defendant was not recorded as having a flight risk and there were no suggestions he would flee the ACT.
"If he wanted to flee, he had plenty of time since the 17th of November. He's been reporting every Wednesday since then," Ms Taylor said.
The magistrate deleted the reporting condition.
Mr Middleton's lawyer told the court he lived with his parents and worked casually at a McDonald's store.
The case returns to court on March 31.
