Nick Warby (pictured) has likened the first time he saw child porn to being on the drug ice
A former swimming teacher at one Sydney’s most prestigious schools recalled his disturbing reaction the first time he watched child pornography.
Nick Warby said he was introduced to sick material involving children by a man named Jay who he met on dating app Grindr in 2016.
‘I lit up. It was similar to the first time I drank and the first time I used ice,’ NSW District Court heard Warby told a psychologist.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material and drugs following his arrest in August 2019, when a colleague found Warby’s phone with explicit content on it after he left it at a school swimming carnival.
Police searches of his car and home revealed more than 3,400 photos and videos, many involving the sexual abuse of prepubescent boys and, in some cases even babies under two, on five different devices.
Warby’s barrister Edward Anderson acknowledged some of the material was particularly horrifying and had been in his possession for more than two years.
The court heard Warby drank alcohol excessively throughout his work day at Knox, which charges fees of up to $34,110 a year.
Warby said he was drinking at morning tea, lunch, in the afternoon, in his car and then later at home, and and spending $1,500 a week on his ice addiction.
His mother Belinda Warby testified that the family was stunned and shocked when her son was arrested.
She had no idea he was using drugs and while he drank with them at meals in the evening, she didn’t know the extent of his alcohol intake.
Since his arrest, Warby has been seeing a counsellor, attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, undergoing urine analysis for drugs, going to church, doing volunteer work and carrying out landscaping.
Warby leaves the court room on Wednesday. The former director of aquatic sports had a $1,500 a week ice habit, which his barrister believes brought on his child porn addiction
‘He is a much nicer person,’ Ms Warby said.
‘He is deeply sorrowful and embarrassed that any of this happened.’
Judge Gina O’Rourke noted Warby had an obviously loving and supportive family, but said it was quite peculiar and odd that people he lived with hadn’t noticed his drug and alcohol problem.
Warby told psychologists he was a victim of sexual abuse during his childhood, including being raped as a 14-year-old for several hours by an older man.
Mr Anderson believed his client’s child porn addiction had been brought in from a ‘dormant’ space in his mind through his drug use.
‘The drug use seems to bring forward the particular fixation (that) must have some connection with what happened,’ he said.
Warby faces a maximum of ten years in jail and will be sentenced on Friday.
NSW District Court heard Warby was drinking alcohol excessively while he was working at Knox Grammar School (pictured)
Source: Daily Mail AU
