by Cam Lucadou-Wells
A 60-year-old Noble Park engineer who tried to procure girls for sex while overseas has been jailed.
Raul Palanas pleaded guilty at the Victorian County Court to procuring the two 15-year-olds, to grooming and possessing more than 700 child abuse images and videos in early 2022.
The Filipino-born father-of-two had messaged the girls requesting to pay for sex while on a trip to the Philippines.
He’d also requested explicit photos of them – all while knowing their young age.
While visiting relatives in the Philippines, Palanas further discussed arrangements with the pair, requesting one of the girls to bring along her 13-year-old sister.
He was found to have met at least one of the victims.
However there was no evidence that any sexual contact took place or that money changed hands.
On his return to Australia, Australian Border Force officers discovered child abuse material on his phone.
Parlanas made full admissions, with further material seized on CDs, a computer and flash drive at his family home.
In sentencing on 22 November, judge Simon Moglia said the “truly abhorrent” offending involved a “stark” age difference between the then-58-year-old and his victims.
He was presumed to do long-term harm to the children involved.
Their trust in others and future relationships would be undermined.
Judge Moglia noted the “category-2” child abuse material was offensive but not “high-end” or offered for sale.
A “highly remorseful” Palanas had no prior convictions, made full admissions, was a hard-working provider to his family and offered an early guilty plea.
His offending was attributed to an increasing use of pornography to replace sexual intimacy.
A psychologist, who’d since treated him, said Palanas had reformed his attitudes and dysfunctional behaviours.
He’d made no attempts to deny and minimalise his offending, which he accepted was “repulsive”.
Judge Moglia accepted Palanas was likely to be at low risk of reoffending. But his sentence must also deter others as well as serve as just punishment.
Palanas was jailed for three years and eight months. He will be eligible for parole in 22 months.
He was ordered to report as a registered sex offender for life.
