A former high school science teacher who used encrypted websites to browse child porn forums with titles like "Magic Kingdom" and "Childs play" has avoided jail over child pornography charges.
Robert Zitzelsperger???, a former science teacher at the exclusive North Sydney private girls school Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College, showed little emotion when he appeared at the Downing Centre on Friday, dressed in a black suit and red tie.
He had previously pleaded guilty to both charges of using a carriage service to access child pornography and possessing child abuse material.
On Friday he was sentenced in the District Court to 18 months and 12 months imprisonment for each charge, both to be served by way of intensive corrections order in the community.
The 51-year-old was targeted by Australian Federal Police in May last year, when a search warrant was executed at his Naremburn home on Sydney's lower north shore.
That day officers seized an ASUS laptop computer containing child pornography and a spiral notepad, in which seven handwritten usernames and passwords were listed for "TOR" website browsers.
Also referred to as The Onion Router, TOR browsers allow users to use the internet anonymously, by encrypting and decrypting internet traffic.
A total of 12 images were found on the laptop, the majority of which depicted sexual activity between children or adults and children.
Using the passwords in the seized spiral notebook, AFP officers accessed four "TOR" websites, with names such as "Magic Kingdom," "Childs play," "Princess Jade" and "Video".
Each website supported a different password, including "Drewl" and "TheyLikeMe".
On the "Princess Jade" forum, AFP members viewed images of child exploitation material with the tagline "chatting about the girls we love".
"AFP members observed live conversations in the chat site with the usernames 'Dante', "mummylove', 'teachergradeseven' and 'teenlover'," a statement of facts tendered to the court revealed.
In an interview following the search of his home, Zitselsperger admitted that he owned the spiral notebook and email addresses that had been used to access TOR website.
He also admitted that he first accessed the websites a couple of years ago, accessing it "for research purposes and [to] read the content on forum discussions".
Judge Dina Yehia first delivered her judgment in August this year. At sentencing on Friday she said two years or less was an appropriate period of imprisonment for each charge.
"A risk assessment ... by a senior Corrective Services NSW psychologist ... assessed the offender as low risk of sexual offending. He has been assessed as suitable for an intensive corrections order."
Judge Yehia described the mandatory conditions of Zitzelsperger's sentence as "very onerous," including only residing at approved premises, receiving visits from his supervisor at any time, submitting to searches and undertaking a minimum 32 hours of community service each month
He is also required to forfeit the seized laptop computer and the notebook.
In a letter to parents on Friday, the principal of Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College, Nicole Christensen, confirmed the Zitzelsperger's employment was terminated in June 2016, when the school was made aware of the charges.
"I would like to reiterate that the police investigation did not find any connection with, or evidence relating to, any Monte student, any other teacher or member of the Monte staff," she said.
"Further, no criminal activities were conducted during school time or using school equipment."
In a media statement, Mrs Christensen said "Monte and its staff find any form of, or activity relating to, child pornography totally abhorrent and applaud the AFP for its efforts in uncovering and prosecuting such conduct in our society".
