South Australian accused paedophile Jadd William Brooker has been granted bail, despite some pretty damning evidence against him.
The HIV-positive alleged paedophile is accused of purposely infecting children with the HIV virus, among several other accusations.
However, on Wednesday the Christies Beach Magistrates Court approved to release Jadd William Brooker to live with his grandmother on home detention. The bail amount? $1000.
However, he will stay in custody for now as prosecutors plan to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court.
What has he done?
We know how the law system works – innocent until proven guilty, but, allegedly – and with evidence from the SA Police to back it up, Jadd William Brooker has:
- Repeatedly pursued underage adolescents for sex.
- Attempted to destroy potential evidence. He asked his mum to delete his Facebook and Microsoft Live accounts while behind bars.
- Engaged in multiple conversations with children between the ages of 13 and 16, over Skype and Telegram. In each, child exploitation material was either being disseminated or received.
- Had ongoing, illegal sexual relationships with two male teenagers – one of whom has since taken his life.
- Committed multiple aggravated and basic counts of disseminating and possessing child exploitation material.
Prosecutors allege those offences occurred between December 2015 and August this year.
However, because Jadd William Brooker had no prior criminal history and no previous breaches of bail, Magistrate Rodney Oates granted him bail.
Where is he now?
Jadd William Brooker, 38, of Glenelg East, is now on 24-hour electronic monitoring at his grandmother’s house. He is not allowed online, which police have no confidence he will actually adhere to.
“In this day and age, it’s almost impossible to prevent someone accessing the internet,” police stated.
And the two teenage boys he assaulted?
One is dead. One is awaiting an HIV test. There are several more out there too, as the court will soon hear.
Brooker is due back in court soon on additional charges relating to multiple aggravated and basic counts of disseminating and possessing child exploitation material.
“I do take into account the fact other charges are being investigated but, in relation to this bail application, I must focus on the charges that are before this court,” Magistrate Rodney Oates said.
A scary reminder
Parents, it’s situations like this that demonstrate the importance of internet safety. There are so many loopholes and many alleged criminals are granted bail or get through the cracks of a faulty system.
Have a read of our recent story on why experts are asking parents to keep their kids off TikTok for the time being.
Be sure to also read our other stories on cyber safety. Often these situations start online and people like Brooker are on the other side of the screen. It’s a scary thought, but it’s happening. And we need to be aware of it.
