A self-described "computer geek" will spend weeks behind bars despite having hundreds of child sexual abuse files, some involving a toddler.
The sex offender, Steven John Bolton, has shown "an absence of any demonstrated remorse" for his crimes.
On Thursday, Justice Verity McWilliam handed Bolton a one-year-and-11-month jail sentence. He is to be released after seven weeks behind bars, upon entering into a recognisance order.
Bolton, 52, previously pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material, and using a carriage service to access child abuse material.
During his ACT Supreme Court sentence hand-down, he dabbed his eyes with tissues and took notes on a pad that was later confiscated when he was taken to the cells.
The self-professed "computer geek" had 536 unique child abuse files, including 79 videos which totalled 90 hours running time.
About 70 per cent of the files showed prepubescent victims with some of the material showing sexual acts involving children as young as two-years-old.
While the charges were dated back to 2022, some of the files had been downloaded by Bolton in 2013.
The earliest file was dated six-months before Bolton suffered a stroke which left him with limited mobility, including loss of use of his arm and leg, requiring him to use a wheelchair.
Previously employed in the computer and animation industry, and the federal public service, the court heard Bolton lived alone and relied on his mother for care.
While Justice McWilliam found there was "no causal connection" between Bolton's disability and his "depraved" crimes, she said time in jail would cause "significantly greater hardship than for other prisoners".
"There is a significant chance that he would be at risk of increased health conditions," she said.
The judge did not take Bolton's "absence of any demonstrated remorse" and refusal to discuss his crimes with report authors into account.
Justice McWilliam said he was "a complex and intensely private individual" and his remorse was "more nuanced".
"People demonstrate shame in different ways," she stated.
The judge said that while she had considered Bolton serve a sentence entirely in the community, "cases of this type demand a period of full time custody".
He will be eligible for release in December 2024.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; Bravehearts 1800 272 831.
