Wynyard-born Rodney Noel Bessell guilty in child sex abuse case

Rodney Noel Bessell pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Burnie on Monday to 10 Commonwealth charges relating to child sex abuse and the possession of child abuse imagery during a period in 2019.

The 64-year-old lived in the North-West and worked in West Coast mines until the same year.

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Defence lawyer Greg Richardson submitted that his client's crimes were undoubtedly serious, but were on the lower end of the scale for crimes of this nature.

Commonwealth prosecutor Krista Breckweg said that submission was "offensive".

She said Bessell was an "active participant" in the child pornography market, and that he requested and paid for girls as young as 12-years-old to perform sex acts in a video chat, during which they could also see him masturbating.

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Ms Breckweg said Bessell expressed a preference in terms of age, and asked if the girls would engage in sex acts with each other, and that on one occasion he needed to wait for a girl to return from school before they could perform for him.

"They are being effectively pimped out by their mother for as little as $36," Ms Breckweg said.

"They can't consent to this and he knows this. They are treated as mere objects."

She said the mother of the children is also facing criminal charges in the Philippines.

The court heard the country had become a hub for child abuse live streaming to western countries including Australia, due to strong internet coverage, poverty and widely spoken English.

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Mr Richardson told the court that because there was no adult physically involved in the sex acts with the children, and that it was not a sophisticated enterprise it was "at the bottom end of the seriousness scale".

"This clearly is not anywhere in the league of the worst possible," he said, adding that his client was remorseful for his actions.

He said it was unlikely his client would be employed again following conviction for these crimes, and that he had moved to north Queensland after authorities began investigating.

Mr Richardson said Bessell had also resigned from his position as the captain of the Australian darts team "when this hit the fan".

"He feels he can't live in Tasmania again due to the embarrassment of this process," Mr Richardson said.

Justice Tamara Jago adjourned the plea hearing to continue on October 21.

If you or someone you know has been affected by this story, you can call North-West sexual assault support service Laurel House on 6431 9711.

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