A former children's nurse in Perth has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for filming himself masturbating in front of school children and producing child exploitation videos. Peter James De Mouilpied, 42, pleaded guilty to 14 charges, including production of child exploitation material and indecent dealing.
The court heard that De Mouilpied, who worked at Perth Children's Hospital and previously at Princess Margaret Hospital, would masturbate at his front window as school children walked past. He lived opposite a high school and sometimes left the blind fully open. When arrested, police found dozens of videos on his phone, including footage of children being sexually abused.
Between December 2020 and August 2021, De Mouilpied used an illegal website to connect with children via webcam, instructing them to perform sexual acts while he filmed himself masturbating. The most serious charge involved him watching and masturbating as a man sexually abused a four-year-old girl.
In his police interview, De Mouilpied initially claimed he did not think the children could see him and said a plumber had told him to stop. However, he later admitted to a psychologist that seeing the schoolgirls' shocked expressions increased his sexual excitement. He said he enjoyed being in control and relied on the girls' vulnerability.
Judge Carmel Barbagallo described his actions as 'disgusting, degrading and at times physically harmful' to the children. She noted that De Mouilpied did not initially understand the impact of his crimes, viewing the interactions as 'brief and exciting.' She said he remains a risk to the community until he addresses the factors behind his offending.
De Mouilpied received a 25% discount for his early guilty plea. He will be eligible for parole by November 2023.
