On this cold night in August 2017, the first thing that caught the attention of the police was the particularity of the scene.
In front of them, a solitary white Toyota van parked in a dark, empty parking lot on the coast of Primbee.
As they approached the vehicle, the strong smell of marijuana wafted in the night air.
It was time to make a careful inspection. Before choosing to search for vehicles, the police removed Benjamin Hart from the front seat and asked him several questions.
What they discovered in the next 10 minutes was chilling.
At the foot of the passenger seat, the police unearthed a large bag containing many pairs of women’s suit underwear , including children and adults.
Concerned about this unusual discovery, the officer asked Hart to unlock the phone in order to check its contents.
Instead, Hart ran to the edge of Lake Illawarra and threw the phone into the water before the police stopped him.
Then he was arrested and handcuffed so that the search could be carried out without interruption.
When the officers dig into the vehicle, they find that the rear part has been modified, the lining is fixed on the wall, the truck is soundproofed, and a separate leather chair is installed in the middle of the cargo area.
After riding in the passenger seat, the driver could easily see a bag with a revolver and the police said that the comments were “ready for immediate use.”
Behind the chair at the back of the cargo, officers found another hidden weapon, this time a .410 double-barreled shotgun.
The barrel on the gun was shortened and the butt turned into a pistol-style handle.
The police said that the gun was fitted with a black nylon strap so it could be hung on the user’s neck.
It also loaded live ammunition.
A series of six USB devices were also discovered in the trucks, which were later checked by professional forensic police officers.
The devices were found to contain thousands of suit underwear images and videos of child abuse, including photos of a male adult who raped female toddlers.
Police also found a small amount of cannabis and methamphetamine in the car.
The 38-year-old Hart’s address was listed as a quiet street in the nearby Barak Heights and was taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station, where he refused to be interviewed by detectives.
He was charged with guns and child pornography and he pleaded guilty in the Wollongong District Court on Wednesday.
He is expected to face the verdict hearing on April 6.
