![The ACT Supreme Court, where Peter Charles Henderson appeared. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong The ACT Supreme Court, where Peter Charles Henderson appeared. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/DaHt57RjVSvtvCBUgFzTWj/19a5c461-41b2-43af-a37c-bfc768cd1dd6.jpg/r0_286_5600_3447_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A sex offender claims he sent child abuse files to a Tinder match as part of "play acting" for her benefit.
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Peter Charles Henderson, aged in his late 30s, faced the ACT Supreme Court for a sentencing hearing on Friday.
He pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material and possession of child abuse material.
The musician admitted sending 68 child abuse files to co-offender Chelsea Amalia Crivici via WhatsApp.
The offences occurred between October 2021 and March 2022.
The court heard the pair first connected on Tinder, and only met in person four times.
While giving evidence on Friday, Henderson denied having a sexual interest in children, saying he had "play acted" for Crivici's benefit.
Henderson was also found to have almost 2000 child abuse files, which he collected after being introduced to such material by a previous partner.
However in court earlier this week, Crivici claimed she had kept the files sent by Henderson and then turned them in to police while "trying to play cop".
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While on the stand, Henderson told the court he suffered physical abuse as a child before leaving home at 13.
After spending a few months in a youth shelter, he went to live with a foster family, with whom he had a "good relationship".
Acting Justice Stephen Norrish interrupted Henderson's evidence, saying one of the videos had shown a young girl being burned with cigarettes and beaten.
"If your experience was so terrible, did you think about how terrible that was?" Acting Justice Norrish asked.
"There has been a major conflict in myself," Henderson replied.
The judge then asked if the offender had registered that the abuse was "far worse" than what he had suffered, and stated Henderson's actions were "contrary to any form of human empathy".
"There's a disconnection," Henderson told the court.
"It's very hard to quantify as to why I was actively involved in this.
"It was not initially my idea. I was in a relationship with a person who had this material."
He told the court he had been abstinent for 12 months and had been focusing on building model airplanes, and restoring an old Volkswagen Beetle to look like movie character Herbie.
Acting Justice Norrish said Henderson's claims "didn't hold water".
Legal Aid lawyer Edward Chen argued his client had given answers that were "honest", instead of "what is easy to hear".
"[Henderson] is mentally vulnerable enough to be willing to go to these lengths for women," Mr Chen said.
Henderson is set to be sentenced on May 2.
Crivici is scheduled to be next in court in June.
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