![A 50-year-old Wagga man has been jailed over child sex charges in the Wagga District Court this week. File picture A 50-year-old Wagga man has been jailed over child sex charges in the Wagga District Court this week. File picture](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/172474527/b2b9eec5-6c6b-4839-a6d4-5f3593a6dbc9.JPG/r0_143_4032_2410_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A Wagga man has been jailed for having sex with a teenage girl and keeping images of her naked and engaging in sexual acts.
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The 50-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced in Wagga District Court on Thursday for possessing child abuse material and having sex with a person aged between 14 and 16 years.
The man had sex with a girl who was known to him in October 2021 and was charged by police in January 2022.
Judge Gordon Lerve said there had been reports of inappropriate behaviour by the man towards the girl during 2021.
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Complaints were made after reports the accused and victim had been seen "canoodling" in January that year.
The man was again caught in a compromising position with the girl at his home in June 2021, while the man was also seen leaving the girl's home in September that year.
Police searched the man's home during November 2021and seized a laptop, a mobile phone and seven USBs.
The court heard 46 images of child abuse material were tendered as evidence.
Some of those images depicted the victim in naked or partially nude positions, while others depicted sex between the man and the girl.
In sentencing, Judge Lerve repeatedly outlined the inappropriate nature of the relationship but did take into consideration the man was himself a victim of child abuse during his "formative years".
The judge also noted the man had shown genuine signs of remorse and was on a mental health plan.
"I am prepared to find on balance he is unlikely to reoffend ... [and that] there are good prospects of rehabilitation," he said.
However, he found there was a "very real issue of general deterrence given the possession of child abuse material".
The crown prosecutor argued the offender was an educated man who should have known better.
However, the man's lawyer argued his troubled childhood should lead to some reduction in moral culpability.
Judge Lerve said given the nature of the offending, prison was the only appropriate form of punishment.
The man was convicted and sentenced to three years' jail, which was backdated to November 21, 2022.
He is set to be released on parole on May 20, 2024.
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