Man used drugs and sex to 'corrupt' girls

A 42-year-old man has been given a suspended sentence for "corrupting" two children with methamphetamine for the purpose of having them perform sex acts.

Tristen Michael Black faced the Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to 29 charges including using the internet to procure a child under 16, aggravated supply of a dangerous drug to a minor and unlawful carnal knowledge.

The court heard Black, from Little Mountain on the Sunshine Coast, contacted two 14-year-old girls via the social media application Snapchat and offered them meth.

Black met one of the girls in a hotel room and on two occasions had sex with her including once after he had injected meth into her arm.

Black also attended the girl's school to supply her with drugs and touched her genitals when he did so.

The other girl was supplied with drugs on six occasions with Black continually attempting to initiate sex with her.

Black committed the offences between December, 24, 2020 and June 13 last year, at which point a mother of one of the girls found a video of him and reported the matter to police.

Police visited Black's hotel room and later executed a search warrant, finding quantities of drugs on both occasions.

Black admitted to police that he supplied drugs to the girls and had a relationship with one of them but said he thought they were both aged 17.

The crown prosecutor said Black had a minor previous criminal record but he, as a 40-year-old man, had "preyed on the vulnerability" of teenage girls for his own sexual gratification.

"This was offending committed against two 14-year-old girls who were clearly addicted to a dangerous drug," the crown prosecutor said.

Defence barrister Simone Bain said Black felt ashamed and at the time of offending was "in the grip of addiction and a mature-aged man in a low point in his life".

"He has noted he has caused pain and embarrassment to the victims and their families," Ms Bain said.

Justice David Jackson said Black engaged with the girls with the "view to exchange meth for sex if you could".

Justice Jackson said if Black had thought the girls were aged 17, he would not have thought so for long.

"You have a minor criminal history from age 39 that coincided with a descent into drug use around the breakdown with your family and work," Justice Jackson said.

"You were on good behaviour bond during some of the ... sex offences with children under 16. Your behaviour was corrupting."

Justice Jackson said there could be a contradiction in a psychologist's finding that Black did not have a cognitive distortion around sexual activity with children but also had a distortion that minimised his offending.

Black was given a four-year suspended sentence starting on Wednesday and immediately released on court-ordered parole after spending the past 17 months in custody.