Western Australian babysitter Jareth Harries-Markham jailed for sexually abusing 16 children

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Monstrous babysitter who raped an eight-month-old baby and sexually assaulted 15 other girls makes sickening claim in court for being jailed on 141 charges so despicable that prosecutor collapsed

  • GRAPHIC CONTENT
  • Jareth Thomas Harries-Markham jailed for 18 years for child sex crimes
  • Harries-Markham claimed he ‘loved the kids’ and had ‘no memory’ of abuse
  • He sexually assaulted more than a dozen children between July 2020 and August 2021
  • The 24-year-old must serve 16 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole

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WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

A pedophile babysitter who raped an eight-month-old baby and sexually assaulted 15 other girls has sickeningly claimed he loved his victims.

Jareth Thomas Harries-Markham, 24, faced the Western Australian Supreme Court on Tuesday, where he was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to 141 child sex crimes.

Harries-Markham, who was hired to babysit on a live-in basis, told a psychiatrist he had “no memory” of the shocking abuse and did not know why he committed the crimes.

His lawyer, Amir Murad, said his client “loved these children.”

Jareth Harries-Markham (pictured) was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to 141 child sex offenses

Jareth Harries-Markham (pictured) was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to 141 child sex offenses

“He became attached to them,” Murad told the court. news.com.au reported.

“It was never his intention to hurt them the way he did or in any other way and he just can’t reconcile what he’s done with how he feels about the children.”

The details of Harries-Markham’s crimes were so shocking that prosecutor Brett Tooker became emotional and had to pause while explaining the abuse.

Harries-Markham filmed and photographed the girls – aged between eight months and nine years – with the abuse taking place between July 2020 and August 2021.

Some of the victims were children who were invited to his home for playdates while he was babysitting.

Some of the victims’ 12 families attended court for Harries-Markham’s conviction.

Referring to statements about the victims’ repercussions, Judge Stephen Hall said the parents had been betrayed by the 24-year-old and that they felt “overwhelming guilt.”

1664541443 584 Western Australian babysitter Jareth Harries Markham jailed for sexually abusing 16

1664541443 584 Western Australian babysitter Jareth Harries Markham jailed for sexually abusing 16

The court heard Harries-Markham, 24, (pictured) told his psychiatrist he had “no recollection” of committing the violations, with his lawyer saying his client “loved these children”

The court heard that Harries-Markham was hired as a live-in babysitter and used two websites to improve his babysitting services.

On one site, he claimed that he loved “raising children to be the best they can be.”

He claimed he had more than four years of experience, a Working With Children card, police checks and a first aid certificate.

Harries-Markham admitted he had “exaggerated” his experience.

“I’m a pretty easygoing guy who’s open to any age at any hour. Be open to what the family wants,” he wrote on a babysitting site.

Harries-Markham committed some crimes while the children slept, the court heard.

His lawyer argued there was no evidence to suggest his client became a babysitter to access children and said Harries-Markham may have been unaware of his pedophile disorder.

Harries-Markham pleaded guilty to 141 charges, including 10 counts of sexually penetrating a child under 13, 35 counts of indecently treating a child and 94 counts of indecently shooting a child.

He was given lifelong restraining orders from contacting the victims and must serve a minimum of 16 years behind bars before being eligible for parole.