Convicted killer and self-confessed child exploitation material downloader Wei Li. Image: Supreme Court registry.
Camera IconConvicted killer and self-confessed child exploitation material downloader Wei Li. Image: Supreme Court registry. Credit: Supplied

SA judge declines to look at perverse material downloaded by convicted killer Wei Li

Chief Court Reporter Sean FewsterThe Advertiser

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CONVICTED killer Wei Li has missed his child pornography court date due to a prison shuttle delay — while a judge has refused to look at the perverse material he downloaded.

As revealed exclusively by The Advertiser, Li, 23, has pleaded guilty to downloaded and possessing illicit sexual images of children both before and after killing his mother in 2011.

The 18 files downloaded by Li span the range of criminal seriousness and include not only photos and videos, but perverse “anime”-style cartoons.

He was due to face sentencing submissions on Friday, however his scheduled court hearing did not proceed according to plan.

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Lisa Lakatos, prosecuting, told the court that there had been a delay in bringing Li from prison to court in time for a 9.30am start.

Judge Paul Cuthbertson said that, given Li’s pleas, the matter could proceed in his absence.

“There’s a suggestion that I will need to view some of the material — do I really need to view it?” he asked.

“What’s wrong with the description of the type of material it is?”

Ms Lakatos and Michael Hegarty, for Li, agreed the decision whether or not to view the material was entirely in Judge Cuthberston’s discretion.

“Unless it’s something particularly significant, I’m not really interested in viewing it,” he replied.

He remanded Li in custody to face sentencing submissions in August.