Father's tip-off leads to arrest of resort worker in child sex case

News.com.au

2 days ago

A young resort worker is behind bars after attempting to meet up with a young boy for sex which was only uncovered after the boy's father became suspicious.
Luke Edward Reynolds, 29, was sentenced in the Brisbane District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to multiple child sex offences, including grooming and attempting to meet a 13-year-old boy.
The former tour boat worker, who appeared in court wearing jeans, a jacket, and glasses, pleaded guilty to two counts of using electronic communication to procure a child under 16, three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 (expose), one count of indecent treatment of a child under 16, and one count of possessing child exploitation material.
The court was told that Reynolds, communicated with the 13-year-old initially through an online chat room before moving their conversations to Snapchat, where the exchanges became sexual in nature.
Both exchanged nude photos with each other.
The Crown Prosecutor said Reynolds' acts were 'persistent, predatory and premeditated', noting the 'significant age gap' between him and the boy.
He said the conversations were 'heavily sexual in nature,' and Reynolds would also send the boy pictures found online.
On one occasion, Reynolds sent a photo of a cooler bag containing two bottles of lubricant and condoms.
The court was told Reynolds first arranged to meet the boy at Cannon Hill, but the boy became nervous and left on his pushbike without going through with it.
Reynolds messaged the boy again later that day to arrange another meeting and continued to send explicit messages.
When the boy returned home, his father became suspicious and demanded to check his phone. After discovering the messages, he immediately contacted police.
Officers took over the boy's account and continued the conversation with Reynolds, who sent nude images and arranged another meeting.
During the second planned meet-up, police moved in and arrested him.
At the time of his arrest, he had lubricant and condoms and a towel in a cooler bag.
Police also found two images of naked children on his phone.
The judge noted that Reynolds 'at all times ... believed [the boy] was under 16'.
Reynolds' barrister told the court his client was remorseful and had suffered significant consequences as a result of the offending.
He noted the case had attracted widespread media attention and said Reynolds lost his job at a resort following his arrest, effectively being 'driven out of that industry.'
Since then, he had struggled to find new employment.
The court was also told Reynolds' mental health had 'plummeted' since the incident.
A psychological report described him as 'sexually naïve' and suffering from depression.
It also revealed he had a lonely upbringing, was 'a bit of a loner,' and had never been in a relationship or had any previous sexual experiences.
The report stated he did not fit the criteria for someone with paedophilia.
While Reynolds initially had the support of his family, the court was told his father had 'severed all contact' after learning of the offending.
The defence submitted that Reynolds had 'good prospects' of rehabilitation, pointing to his minimal criminal history, willingness to seek help, and completion of relevant courses since his arrest.
However, Judge Brad Farr SC described Reynolds' actions as 'demonstrably serious' and 'abhorrent' to society.
Judge Farr noted that although the boy initially said he was 14, Reynolds told him he looked younger than 13 when they met.
The judge described Reynolds' actions as 'quite calculated' and highlighted his persistence, even after the boy became frightened following the first attempted meeting.
While accepting Reynolds' remorse as genuine, the judge also considered his early guilty plea and lack of relevant criminal history.
He sentenced Reynolds to two years' imprisonment, suspended after six months, followed by a probation period with strict conditions, including a special order for psychiatric treatment.