A former YMCA childcare worker has been sentenced to a maximum of 10 years imprisonment for sexually molesting 12 under-age boys in his care, the Downing Centre District Court heard after almost four hours of proceedings today.
Jonathan Luke Lord, now 26, was convicted last November by District Court judge Michael King of 29 charges relating to the sexual and indecent assault of boys aged from six to 11.
He will now serve a minimum of six years for the offences that took place between January 2009 and October 2011.
He will be eligible for parole on October 23, 2017.
In a dramatic end to the week, the hearing was adjourned briefly before the sentence was passed down, after Lord broke down in the docks and rocked back and forth about 5pm.
Lord worked at vacation care and before and after-school care for the YMCA in Sutherland Shire since 2009.
He also worked privately as a babysitter for several families.
Judge King outlined details of how Lord repeatedly put his hands down the pants of several victims and touched or rubbed their genitals.
The convicted pedophile also performed two sexual acts upon an eight-year-old boy.
One offence happened on an excursion and the other in a storeroom during vacation care.
The sexual abuse happened in many places including the homes of victims, a YMCA centre, on a bus to and from excursions organised by YMCA, a movie theatre, a toilet block and a boat shed.
Lord was arrested and charged in October 2011.
He later confessed to police in a hand- written letter that he molested another four other victims, resulting in additional charges.
Lord was helped by four court officers from the docks at 5.50pm
