A public servant facing indecent treatment and child exploitation material charges has been granted bail after two nights in a police watchhouse.
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Sidney Ricky Bassett Shanks, who has no criminal history, appeared by video-link in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
The 59-year-old man is charged with two counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 and one count each of making child exploitation material, obscene publications and exhibitions, possessing child exploitation material and unlawful stalking.
The court heard Shanks is alleged to have committed the indecent treatment almost two years ago.
He has made admissions to police about those charges, Legal Aid duty lawyer Christabelle Stafford-Smith said.
Shanks had been extremely co-operative, giving officers his mobile and computer with passcodes, the court was told.
The dual Canadian and Australian passport holder who arrived in this country in 1993, has been employed as a full-time public servant for two years, Ms Stafford-Smith told the court.
"Ultimately it's my submission that, where my client is a mature man with no criminal history, that ... the two most serious offences occurred in January 2022 and he made full admissions that my client is a good candidate for bail," Ms Stafford-Smith said.
The indecent treatment charges allegedly relate to him exposing a child under 16 years to an indecent act, according to court documents.
Other charges relate to Shanks allegedly "knowingly and without lawful justification or excuse publicly distributed an obscene computer-generated image" and making child exploitation material between January 28 last year and Saturday.
Police allege Shanks possessed child exploitation material in the form of computer-generated images when charged on Saturday.
Magistrate Andrew Moloney released Shanks on bail with conditions including that he live at a Coorparoo address and does not contact four people.
The alleged indecent treatment was earlier reported to police but a decision made not to proceed with the complaint after an interview was given, Mr Moloney said.
"Further information has arisen more recently, not involving similar conduct, but involving the publication of material online (and) another complainant has also come forward," he added.
Shanks is required to surrender his passports and cannot leave Queensland.
He was granted bail on his own undertaking, with his case expected to be mentioned in the same court on January 22.
Australian Associated Press
