A paedophile children's nurse has been sentenced to three years and five months in jail after he filmed himself masturbating to passing school children on web cameras at his home in Perth's southern suburbs.
Warning: This story contains details that may be distressing for some readers.
Peter James De Mouilpied had worked for the Child and Adolescent Health Service since graduating as a nurse in 2008.
Most recently he worked in the operating theatre at the Perth Children's Hospital, and prior to that he was at Princess Margaret Hospital.
Last week De Mouilpied pleaded guilty to 14 charges relating to the production of child exploitation videos and indecent dealing.
De Mouilpied was caught when on five separate occasions in August last year, he repeatedly went to the front window of this home and masturbated as school children walked past on their way to school.
The court heard he lived alone opposite a high school, and at times had the blind completely open when he stepped forward towards the window as he engaged in the behaviour.
At least three children saw him and reported him to police.
When officers arrested him, they found his mobile phone containing dozens of videos of children being exploited.
De Mouilpied watched as 4yo girl abused
The court heard between December 2020 and August 2021, De Mouilpied used an illegal website to connect with children live via a web camera.
He would instruct them to perform sexual acts while he filmed them and masturbated.
The court heard the children could see what he was doing via a two-way camera.
Some children were too young to understand but had an adult present, who De Mouilpied gave instruction to.
The most serious charge related to De Mouilpied watching and masturbating as a man sexually abused a four-year-old girl.
Police also found videos he had made of masturbating at his bedroom window, which looked out over the street the school was on, as students walked past.
The court was told during his police interview, he initially claimed he did not think the children could see him.
He told them a plumber had come over a few days before his arrest and told him to stop, which he promised he would.
But the following day he returned to the same conduct.
De Mouilpied later admitted to a psychologist that the schoolgirls looked shocked and that increased his sexual excitement.
The court heard he enjoyed being "in control" and relied on the vulnerability of the girls, because they were not adults and not in the same position as a teacher or guardian to do anything about his offending.
'Disgusting, degrading and harmful': judge
In sentencing, Judge Carmel Barbagallo said she took into account the vulnerability of both sets of victims.
She said students, "regardless of age or gender", were entitled to walk to school without being subjected to De Mouilpied's behaviour.
Judge Barbagallo said his offending with children on web cameras was "disgusting, degrading and at times physically harmful" to the children.
"No child should be exposed to that conduct and in your case [exposed] deliberately so," she said, describing him as the "instigator, producer and director" of his own child exploitation material, which he recorded so he could access "again and again".
She also said the fact he was not in the same room as the children had no relationship to the harm caused.
Court told De Mouilpied risk to community
Ms Barbagallo said he did not initially appear to understand the impact on the children, describing his interactions as "brief and exciting" and believing they were adolescent children who were sexually curious.
She said until he addressed factors that caused his offending, he remained a risk to the community.
She also noted that while there was no evidence he had abused any children in his care, the fact he worked at a children's hospital where children were "at their most vulnerable" during the period of his offending "has got to more than raise eyebrows".
The maximum sentence available was 10 years, but De Mouilpied was given a 25 per cent discount for his early guilty plea.
He was sentenced to three years and five months in jail, but will be eligible for parole by November 2023.
