A former primary schoolteacher found with child porn, including an explicit video of boys aged nine to 12, has been given probation without a conviction so he can apply to work with children again.
Simon Birt pleaded guilty on Wednesday at Southport District Court to charges relating to child exploitation material discoveries police had made in his Worongary home on the Gold Coast in August 2014, reports the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Brit was a Year 3 teacher who had gone on to become an accountant after his arrest but his defense argued he would have trouble re-registering if a conviction was recorded and hard for him to obtain a blue card – also known as a working with children check.
According to The Gold Coast Bulletin, Judge Julie Dick said that the defendant had been punished out-of-court by not being able to do the job he loved, risking his new accounting profession and losing associations with the Nerang Roster Junior Rugby League Club – a place the judge said Brit had “lifelong community interests in”.
Judge Dick opted to give Brit 12 months probation and did not record a conviction stating that it would ‘unnecessarily interfere’ with his wellbeing.
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