Former Scots College student disputes facts in child abuse material case
Ethan Ungerboeck, a former Scots College student, is seeking to dispute the agreed facts in his NSW District Court case after a plea deal reduced 17 charges to six. Prosecutors told the court that negotiations are continuing over the disputed matters; the case is significant because the allegations concern a large collection of child abuse and animal cruelty material.
Police say they found more than 4,000 images and 150 videos of child abuse material, as well as at least 50 images and 60 videos involving bestiality or animal cruelty. The material was stored across a USB drive, a Telegram account and a laptop, and investigators encountered Ungerboeck during a wider probe into online groups trading abuse material. He is on bail, and the charges carry maximum prison terms of three to 15 years.
In short
- Ungerboeck is seeking to dispute facts in his court case.
- His plea deal reduced 17 charges to six.
- Police say his devices held thousands of abuse images and videos.
Explained simply
In New South Wales, criminal cases may be resolved through a plea deal, in which a defendant admits some charges and others are dropped. The court can also consider agreed facts describing what happened, though the defendant may dispute parts of that account.
Ethan Ungerboeck is a former student of Scots College, a school in Sydney. Police allege that he possessed child abuse material and material showing sexual acts with animals or animal cruelty, found on electronic devices and an online account; these allegations are matters for the court.
The case is part of a wider police investigation into online groups sharing abuse material. Its outcome matters because it will determine how the court deals with the charges and the disputed account, which carry potentially lengthy prison sentences.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Caught with a depraved stash of child abuse material, ex-Scots College boy Ethan Ungerboeck wants to rewrite the facts of a vile double life that began while he was still at school”.