35-year-old man distributes child abuse material via Bumble messages leading to community correction order and sex offender registry listing
Summary
A 35-year-old man, David Valastro, sent extremely descriptive and depraved messages about child abuse to two female victims he matched with on the dating app Bumble. The incidents occurred in October 2024, with Valastro in Warrnambool, Victoria, and one of the victims located hundreds of kilometres away. Valastro disclosed a fabricated attraction to children aged zero to 10 and claimed he had previously sexually assaulted very young children, which the court heard was untrue. He also sent messages describing a naked girl performing sex acts and requested photos of a victim’s children. Valastro was arrested on October 3, 2024, and later pleaded guilty to distributing child abuse material. He was placed on a two-year community correction order, ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, and added to the sex offender registry for eight years.
Incident Details
Harms involving the exploitation, abuse, or endangerment of minors, including CSAM and grooming.
Child sexual abuse material — the creation, distribution, or possession of such content.
Online contact by adults seeking to build trust with minors for exploitation.
Sources
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