A paedophile with dwarfism could avoid going to jail over fears he'll be targeted by other inmates because of his size.
Daniel James Knuth, the son of Queensland MP Shane Knuth, pleaded guilty to 35 child sex offences when he faced Townsville District Court in December.
The 21-year-old admitted to using a fake Facebook account to trick young girls into sending him nude photographs, saying no one would talk to him on his real profile.
Knuth pretended to be a personal trainer and engaged in sexually explicit conversations with 27 child victims between October 2016 and September 2017, the Townsville Bulletin reported.
At his initial sentencing in December, Knuth's defense barrister claimed prison would be a 'very difficult' environment for him due to his stature, and said he had undergone 17 surgeries to correct bone deformities.
Judge Greg Lynham said he had never seen this type of criminal behavior with such a high number of victims, and intended to send Knuth to jail.
But Judge Lynham was held off sentencing him until the court had a complete understanding of the vulnerabilities of people with dwarfism in a prison.
On Wednesday the matter was brought to court again, where Judge Lynham ordered the Director of Public Prosecutions contact the manager of the Townsville Correctional Centre, to determine what Knuth's sentencing outcome would be.
'They can accommodate (some) sorts of conditions quite well', Judge Lynham told the court, 'but we have unique features here that I’m not sure whether the Townsville Correctional Centre has been confronted with before.
'In fairness to them they need to have an opportunity to consider how they might accommodate,' Judge Lynham said.
MP’s paedophile dwarf son could be let off as inmates might target him
Queensland Paedophile Daniel James Knuth - who suffers from dwarfism - could avoid going to jail due to fears he'll be targeted by other inmates because of his size.
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