Steven Capsis, the son of well-respected Baptist priest Reverend George Capsis, will spend at least the next three months and 12 days in prison for possessing and accessing child abuse material.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Capsis, 48, was sentenced at the Downing Centre District Court last week after police found more than 400 child abuse images on multiple devices in his home.
The court heard Capsis, who lives with his parents and has been supported by his father in court, had felt “misunderstood his entire life” and felt a barrier to maintaining intimacy with anyone besides his family.
In a letter to the court he “apologised unreservedly” and said he felt “deeply ashamed” of his offending.
In his own letter to the court, Reverend Capsis said his son was a “good son with a kind, friendly nature and a strong work ethic.”
Judge Jennie Anne Girdham, speaking generally, called the possession of child abuse material “callous and predatory,” the Telegraph reports.
She said she was satisfied Mr Capsis was both contrite and remorseful. He will be eligible for release on March 14, 2022.
Mr Capsis has previously run for NSW and federal parliament as a Christian Democrats candidate and once received a NSW Government Community Service Award for his years of outreach to people affected by addiction and homelessness.
Source: The Daily Telegraph.
