A Benalla man who attempted to solicit sex shows of Filipino girls as young as 11-years-old and paid teenage girls for naked pictures has been jailed six years. David Charles Bertram Mackennal, 66, appeared at Wangaratta County Court on Thursday to plead guilty to six charges of planning to solicit and accessing sexual content of children, planning or preparing sexual activity with minors and possession of child abuse material prior to his sentence on Friday. The court heard from 2013 to 2017 Mackennal was in contact with a Filipino adult male who said he could arrange online shows of girls from the Philippines performing sex acts. The 66-year-old had visited the Philippines on multiple occasions after first forming a friendship with a 19-year-old girl and meeting others on his trips. Mackennal paid and haggled with the Filipino man on multiple occasions, with the man offering the Benalla truck driver online shows of girls as young as 11-years-old and “child-on-child” shows. The court heard there was no evidence of the shows taking place. From 2021 to 2023, Mackennal would get in contact with four girls directly and pay them to send him explicit photos via messaging apps. He would often refer to the girls as “pookie” and told them he wanted to have sex with them. “Any age is legal for me,” one of the man’s messages read. “I like you fresh.” In exchange for the pictures, Mackennal sent the children money to use for phone credit, school supplies and clothes. “You know I’m not legal age right?” One girl’s message read. “It doesn’t matter,” he replied. Mackennal used multiple online platforms including Skype, Telegram and Facebook to communicate and solicit the explicit material. On 13 September 2023 police searched Mackennal’s home and seized his devices. The court heard the 66-year-old showed no remorse for his offending and denied receiving any nude photos of girls. He told officers he wanted the girls to stop sending him naked photos because it “wasn’t what he wanted” and he had only asked for their pictures when they turned 18. Mackennal said he was only into girls in their late teens and older and he was helping the girls get through their schooling. During his plea hearing on Thursday, Mackennal sought to avoid a custodial term, with defence counsel Cameron Baker saying the offending was of the lower end of seriousness and lacked aggravating features such as cruelty, harm or physical interaction with adults. Judge Anne Hassan quashed those sentiments and said all charges amounted to a prison term on their own merit. “There is a significant amount of child pornography… there’s no question this offending is very serious,” she said. “He’s negotiating with these children; offering them money for highly depraved content. "He's not looking for children in the Philippines for no reason… they're impoverished and unprotected.” A former actor, Mackennal operated as a truck driver for 17 years transporting vintage and classical cars. He had not worked since he was charged with his offending, being prohibited from owning any electronic devices. The court heard a psychologist report deemed social isolation and heavy drinking as the cause of his offending. Judge Hassan remanded Mackennal into custody on Thursday before handing down her six-year jail term on Friday. Mackennal sat emotionless from a video link in a Wangaratta custody cell, wearing a grey flannelette shirt and glasses. “Your behaviour to these children was corrupting,” Judge Hassan said. “You say you helped them as an attempt to protect your self-image and portray your behaviour as less serious. “It is the duty of the court to end the pernicious trade of child exploitation.” The 66-year-old will be eligible for parole in three years and 10 months and he was placed on the sex offenders registry for life.
