A FORMER pilot and bus driver who was found with more than a thousand child sexual abuse images, including graphic photographs of infants, at his home at Wangi Wangi has decried the lack of support for sex offenders and said paedophiles were unfairly "demonised".
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Nathan John Penman, now 48, has been diagnosed with having a "paedophilic disorder" and says he would use methamphetamine and then, as a form of "escapism", access and download child abuse material.
Penman was on the child protection register and had only been released from jail for similar offences four months before police conducted a surprise inspection at his home in February, 2020.
Police uncovered more than 1300 graphic images of children that he had either accessed online or downloaded, including on his phone, on A4 sheets of paper or on a USB drive.
Penman pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to access child abuse material and possession of child abuse material and faced a sentence hearing in Newcastle District Court on Friday.
Penman gave evidence about his career as a pilot and an incident when he fell asleep for 11 minutes while at the controls that led to him handing in his pilot's licence and his life spiraling out of control.
He said he began using methamphetamine and "turning to the internet as a form of escapism".
During his police interview, Penman had made a number of shocking and disturbing comments about paedophilia, including likening society's perception of paedophilic behaviour and child abuse material to that of society's perception of homosexuality in the 1980s.
He was pressed about that on the stand on Friday, lamenting the difference in the minimum age of consent in Australia compared to other countries and calling the issue of paedophilia "not a level playing field".
"Paedophiles and paedophilic thoughts are demonised in the media," he said. "[If you go online] it will give you information to get support if you have been abused. But there is no support for people with a paedophilic disorder."
When asked by his barrister, Dr. Robert Cavanagh, whether Penman was of the view that paedophilia should be "promoted", he replied: "Yes and no".
"Yes from the point of view that this is an issue that just can't be brushed under the carpet," he said. "It is never going to go away. I don't see the issue of getting it into society. It is being proactive not being reactive. I don't see why people have to go down the same path I have to get the right help."
When asked to clarify and confirm he wasn't saying paedophilia was "good", Penman replied: "No, of course it is not. It is a bloody disgrace."
[If you go online] it will give you information to get support if you have been abused. But there is no support for people with a paedophilic disorder.
- Nathan John Penman said on Friday.
Penman will be sentenced next Thursday.
