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A Catholic school IT worker’s pathetic excuse for grooming and paying 17 girls – some as young as 14 – to send him nude photos and explicit videos
- An IT worker at a Catholic school pleaded guilty to multiple child sex charges
- Adam Michael Hones sent teenage girls in Burnie, Tasmania pictures of his genitals
- He also paid them when they sent him explicit nude photos and performed sexual acts
- In 2021, complaints arose that led to a police raid on his home in Somerset
- Police found 95 images and 44 videos of the girls on a laptop during the raid
- Defense attorney Stephen Wright said Hones lacked confidence, bullied at school
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A former Catholic school IT worker who asked teenage girls for explicit photos and videos in exchange for money was lonely at the time, trying to fill a void in his life, a court has heard.
Adam Michael Hones, 32, pleaded guilty Friday to the Supreme Court in Burnie, Tasmania, on 19 charges involving 17 different girls.
The charges include grooming, possession of child exploitation material and attempts to involve girls in the production of scout material.
The court heard Hones sent the teenage photos of his penis, told a girl, “Watch out sir,” and gave instructions about sexual acts he wanted them to do in the videos and photos.
His victims, aged between 14 and 17, were from schools in the area, which included 11 of the students at Marist Regional College, where he worked for nearly 10 years.
Adam Michael Hones, (pictured) 32, pleaded guilty to 19 charges involving 17 different girls, on Friday at the Supreme Court in Burnie, Tasmania
Hones resigned from his post last year, following a police investigation into his crime, which took place between 2020 and 2021.
Hones (pictured) resigned from his post last year, following a police investigation into his crime, which took place between 2020 and 2021
Police discovered a laptop containing 95 images and 44 videos of the girl during a search of his home in Somerset.
He was charged after the raid because more complaints came to light.
Crown prosecutor Claire Flockhart told the court that Hones would ask girls to send him nude photos and had created several online accounts with fake names, the report said. ABC.
“It was predatory as opposed to opportunistic,” she said.
“He put himself in a position to insult. They were vulnerable.’
Although many refused, several girls sent him explicit photos of themselves.
Ms. Flockhart told the court that Hones even sent messages to the girls through their school email addresses.
Hones’ attorney, Stephen Wright, said his client was unaware that the girls were minors, which the prosecution denied. the Mercury reported.
The prosecution argued that many of the victims had regular contact with him at the college through his IT function.
Mr. Wright added that Hones had no intention of looking for young girls, but was trying to fill a void in his life.
“You can do that by having a conversation without sending nude photos,” Judge Tamara Jago replied.
Mr. Wright added that Hones, who had expressed regret and regret for this violation, had been bullied at school and lacked self-confidence.
“There’s no suggestion that he wanted to make a personal connection… he wasn’t looking to meet them. He was hiding behind an electronic device,” he said.
Justice Iago will sentence Hones on November 25.
His victims, aged between 14 and 17, were from schools in the area, with 11 of the students at the Marist Regional College (pictured), where he worked for nearly a decade