The sickening footage and child abuse photos were discovered after police searched a Goulburn Valley home looking for drugs.
While police found drugs, scales, an ice pipe and ziplock bags, it was what they found on tablets and phones at the house that was most disturbing.
There were multiple videos of them both involved in sexual activity with two very young children.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Supreme Court to 34 charges, including sexual penetration of a child, six counts of sexual assault of a child aged under 16 years, 10 counts of producing child abuse material, three counts of possessing child abuse material, three counts of involving a child in the production of child abuse material, and sexual activity in the presence of a child.
The charges were for incidents that occurred over five years.
He was also charged with two counts of trafficking a commercial quantity of drugs, two counts of trafficking drugs and one of dealing with the proceeds of crime.
These charges were for incidents between September 2022 and February 2024.
The woman, his partner, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual penetration of a child, four of producing child abuse material, sexual activity in the presence of a child aged under 16 years, involving a child in the production of child abuse material and two counts of bestiality.
The charges against children occurred over four years, while the bestiality charges stem from incidents where she performed sexual acts with dogs in 2016 and 2020.
The multiple videos that were subject to the charges included sexual acts with a child who was only a few months old and another who was not yet school age.
Intimate photos were also taken of other children.
Police also found 1279 child abuse images and videos of unknown children on devices owned by the man.
The court also heard that when police searched the house, they found 1696g of 1,4-Butanediol, 19.9g of methamphetamines, 3.9g of methylenedioxy methamphetamines and 0.2g of cannabis, and $1080 in cash believed to be the proceeds of crime.
The man’s phone also showed he sold or offered for sale 646g of methamphetamines, 9.9 litres of 1,4-Butanediol, 0.39kg of cannabis L and 19.24g of methylenedioxy methamphetamines.
In sentencing the pair, Judge Diana Manova said she considered sexual exploitation of children as “an affront on society”.
“The community is horrified by such acts,” she said.
Judge Manova said the man – who had been aged in his 30s at the time of all of his offending – had been sexually abused himself, and had started using drugs daily from the age of 14.
The woman, who was aged in her early 30s at the time of the offences, had also been sexually abused herself, as well as receiving other abuse, and this led to personality disorders.
She had started using drugs at the age of 18, but after she was partnered with the man, this increased the daily use.
Judge Manova said the woman had personality disorders that made her want to please her partner, but said the young age of the victims was an aggravating factor.
The man was sentenced to 22 years and 11 months on all the charges, with a non-parole period of 16 years.
The woman was sentenced to 13 years and six months in jail, with a non-parole period of eight years and one month.
The 714 days both have served in pre-sentence detention will count as time already served.
The pair will also be added to the sex offenders’ register for life.
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