ANDREW, then 18, was hanging out near his home in country Victoria when his mobile beeped. It was a text from a female friend. He opened it to discover the message contained six pictures of local girls aged between 15 and 18, some topless, some in their underwear.

He says he laughed, stored the pictures and forgot about them.

An unsolicited text message led to Andrew being placed on the sex offenders register for eight years. Credit:Simon O'Dwyer

As a keen skater, Andrew* used to film and photograph the action at his local skate park. He would download the images to the computer his mother had saved to give him as an 18th birthday present, then match the pictures to music and make films.

One day, as he and a mate were filming themselves skating, two younger kids started to muck around, pulling the older boys' caps off. When one fell off her bike and cut her face, the older boys sent the pair back to their parents at a nearby sports facility.