A former SA Labor staffer who committed "repugnant" child abuse offences says his offending began amid "endless stress" and "exploitation" as an adviser for the opposition, court documents have revealed.
Benjamin John Waters pleaded guilty in January 2021 to accessing and transmitting child abuse material using a carriage service, as well as two counts of possessing child exploitation material, including images and videos of children under the age of 14, in March 2021.
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The 39-year-old worked as a staffer for Labor Member for Hurtle Vale Nat Cook, who is the opposition spokeswoman for human services.
Waters was expelled from the Labor Party in March after he was arrested by the South Australian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team.
In a 15-page affidavit lodged with the District Court, Waters said his offending began while he was "under an incredible amount of stress which largely came from the nature of my work".
"The political lifestyle is incredibly stressful," he wrote in his statement which the court released to ABC News.
"I worked for the opposition and I was the sole advisor for human services in this state, one of the most difficult portfolios to navigate.
"The endless stress, unpaid hours of work, incredibly late nights at Parliament House with excessive use of alcohol each night took its toll on me.
He wrote that his personal time "became monopolised by work" and his nights and weekends were "stripped away".
But Waters has denied allegations made in the District Court yesterday that he used a work bathroom to "relieve himself" after viewing child exploitation material.
Sexual chats an 'escape' from reality
In his affidavit, he said he was not a "pervert, depraved or a paedophile" but viewed and possessed child exploitation material to "understand why an adult would want to have a sexual relationship" with a child.
"None of those things is true. I do not identify with any of them. That is not who I am," he wrote.
"What I did was repugnant, exploitative and illegal.
"I look at it now with great shame but I did not offend because of a sexual interest in children.
"Chatting to someone about their sexual proclivities was not only something I used as an escape from my anxious reality but also as a way of trying to understand the people and patterns that made no sense to me."
Victorian paedophile Thomas Donaldson has previously told the District Court he and Waters communicated and shared child exploitation images and videos via an encrypted app — content Donaldson said both found "arousing".
The court also heard Waters proposed travelling to Asia with Donaldson in online messages to "have some fun with boys and do whatever we want".
"I found it interesting to bait people on chat lines and see what they said," Waters said in his affidavit.
"They were merely online ramblings which would not be acceptable in real life.
"It's taken me to rock bottom and it has ruined my life – it's the hardest lesson I've ever learned.
"I deserve to be punished."
Prosecution rejects Waters's statement
Prosecutor Jeff Powell rejected Waters's statement he had no sexual interest or attraction to children.
Waters said his decisions were "severely impaired" by his autism spectrum disorder and mental health conditions, which he was now getting treatment for.
The matter before Judge Ian Press continues.
Ms Cook declined to comment on Mr Waters's statement because the matter was before the courts.
