Australian found guilty of sex crimes on underage girls

(IANS)

Fri, Sep 3 12:15 PM  

Melbourne, Sep 3 (IANS) A man in Melbourne who admitted coercing underage girls he met on the internet to have sex with him was found guilty Friday of committing at least 26 sex crimes.

John Raymond Zimmerman, 25, pleaded guilty to 26 sex crimes, including three counts of rape and nine counts of sexually penetrating a child under 16 and procuring a child for sex, the Herald Sun reported Friday.

Zimmerman stood with his hands folded in front of him and bowed his head slightly to the magistrate in the Melbourne magistrates' court as he said only one word -- 'Guilty' -- when asked how he intended to plead.

A clean-shaven Zimmerman, who avoided eye contact with anyone in the public gallery, also pleaded guilty to indecent assault, procuring a child for making child pornography, possessing child pornography, stalking and inviting a child under 18 to make child pornography.

Police have said Zimmerman contacted his victims through a social networking website and later coerced them into having sex with him. (Yahoo)