Bradley Pen Dragon leaving a Thai prison.
Camera IconBradley Pen Dragon leaving a Thai prison. Credit: Supplied/Rachel Fenner

Perth pedophile Bradley Pen Dragon jailed again

Angie Raphael, AAPHills Avon Valley Gazette

CONVICTED pedophile Bradley Pen Dragon has been sentenced to four years and four months in jail for accessing child pornography online two days after his prison release for a separate violent crime in Perth.

The 58-year-old pleaded guilty to two charges and was sentenced in the West Australian District Court on Thursday.

Dragon, who previously spent 13 years in a Thai jail for abusing children, will be eligible for parole after serving three years and four months behind bars.

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Dragon spent almost five hours on a public computer at a backpackers hostel in August 2017, the WA District Court heard on Thursday.

Among the terms he searched online were “Russian child models”, “pre-teen porn” and “anime child incest”.

On another day, he spent six hours on a public computer to view content involving children aged between two and 16.

When he was questioned by police, Dragon denied deliberately searching for the child exploitation material.

“These things just keep popping up when I use the internet,” he told police.

Judge Hylton Quail said that explanation was a lie and described the offending as brazen because other people were using nearby public computers at the same time.

“Some of the material, albeit animated, … is horrifying,” he said.

Dragon pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to access child pornography material.

Prosecutors dropped four other counts of possessing child exploitation material.

Judge Quail said although Dragon ticked every box for the refusal of parole, it would be in the interests of the community that he receive parole supervision.

He said he had difficulty believing the community could be protected from Dragon without some supervision order upon his release.

Judge Quail said Dragon’s prospects for rehabilitation were slim if he did not complete treatment courses.

“I’m not writing you off completely,” he said.

Dragon was sentenced to four years and four months in prison.

He must spend at least three years and four months behind bars before he can be eligible for parole.