Tasmanian Rodney James Bessell, 64, procured pre-teen Filipino kids over SKYPE through their MUM

A father of three has admitted paying a Filipina mum to pimp out her young children online so he could watch them be abused while he performed a sex act on himself. 

Rodney James Bessell, 64, paid about $100 for the Skype shows in September 2019, the Supreme Court in Burnie, Tasmania, heard on Thursday. 

And the sordid abuse only ended when his horrified wife found out. 

Rodney James Bessell, 64, (pictured) paid $100 for the Skype shows in September 2019, before fronting the Supreme Court in Burnie, Tasmania on Thursday

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The darts champion’s vile secret life began when he struck up an online acquaintance with a woman from the Phillipines. 

He met the mother via this woman, who arranged for the children to be abused for his gratification via Skype. 

The father of three (pictured) met the mother, via another woman, who arranged for the children to perform the sex shows 

The young girls were about 12 years old at the time.  

Bessell asked one of the women if the kids ‘enjoyed touching each other’ and if they ‘liked seeing his’ genitals, the Mercury reported. 

He pleaded guilty to 10 charges of encouraging the procurement of a child to engage in sexual activity, engaging in a sexual act with a child (other than sexual intercourse), causing child abuse material to be transmitted and possessing child abuse material. 

Bessell’s defence lawyer Greg Richardson asked Justice Tamara Jago if she would consider giving his client a suspended jail sentence. 

But Crown prosecutor Krista Breckweg rejected the suggestion.

‘He knew these children were effectively being pimped out by their mother and only stopped his conduct because his wife found out,’ she told the court.  

Mr Richardson also said Bessell had paid for his crimes and wasn’t able to live in Tasmania due to the embarrassment.

He also said he was now unemployed. 

The miner had owned a jewellery and trophy shop in Burnie and was Australian Darts Team Captain until 2019. 

Mr Richardson also said Bessell was not part of a child porn ring and none of the online victims were penetrated.

But Ms Breckweg told the court Bessell knew the victims were under 16 and had set up an online money transfer account to pay for the services. 

She added that he had asked specifically for young kids and said it was ‘more yummy’ if the they were virgins. 

The maximum punishment for encouraging the procurement of a child to engage in sexual activity was 20 years in prison, the court heard. 

Bessell will be sentenced on October 21. 

The miner (pictured) had owned a jewellery and trophy shop in Burnie and was a darts champion until 2019