After effectively advertising his child minding services online, a paedophile babysitter admitted to committing 141 sex offences against children trusted to his care.
Jareth Thomas Harries-Markham, 24, appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday accused with 221 child sex offences involving over a dozen kids he babysat between July 2020 and August last year.
Harries-Markham, who appeared via video connection with a black left eye, pled guilty to 141 of the charges, which included raping a newborn and assaulting many other minors.
The other accusations were withdrawn, and Harries Markham will be sentenced in September in the Supreme Court.
According to the court, Harries-Markham advertised his babysitting services on two websites, stating on one that he enjoyed “helping grow up children to be the finest that they can be.”
He obtained positions around Perth and the state’s North West after winning the trust of parents, where he committed the offences, which included 10 charges of sexually penetrating a kids under the age of 13.
He professed to have more than four years of experience, a Working With Children card, police checks, and a first aid certificate on the website WeNeedANanny.com.
He added that he is a relatively easy going man who is willing to care for people of any age and at any time. He is willing to handle things as the family wishes.
In another posting, he offered to babysit for $20 to $25 per hour and claimed to have more than five years of expertise.
Harries-Markham was detained on August 22 when cops searched his Bennett Springs house and discovered child exploitation material.
Child abuse investigators also confiscated many gel blasters and “edged weapons” discovered on the property.
He was originally charged with 14 child sex offences, involving sexual abuse on a kid under the age of 12 months, manufacturing child abuse material, and possessing forbidden weapons.
After police uncovered more victims, additional charges were filed as the inquiry continued.
