A former Mildura educator's aide and kindergarten cleaner has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison following a disturbing campaign of digital exploitation that involved covert filming and the use of artificial intelligence to generate explicit material.

Christopher Rankin, 36, appeared in the Victorian County Court on Monday, where Judge Krista Breckweg denounced his actions over an eight-month period as "abhorrent." Rankin’s offending, which spanned from late 2024 to mid-2025, directly impacted five children and six adults known to him, alongside numerous unidentified victims.

A Systematic Campaign of Exploitation

The court heard that Rankin was found in possession of 3,638 illicit images and videos. While approximately 3,300 of these files were sourced from online networks—showing horrific abuse of victims as young as one year old—Rankin himself actively produced over 350 explicit files.

In a deeply invasive breach of privacy, Rankin installed a black pinhole camera inside a bathroom at a Mildura residence to covertly film two children known to him. Furthermore, he leveraged advanced artificial intelligence software to transpose the faces of four local children and six adult women onto explicit, naked digital models.

Judge Breckweg rejected any notion that the behavior was sporadic, pointing out that Rankin had systematically moved the files across multiple encrypted devices to evade detection.

Sentencing and Long-Term Supervision

Describing Rankin as a "deviant offender" with a moderate risk of reoffending, Judge Breckweg noted that while the materials were kept for personal use rather than distribution or blackmail, his rehabilitation prospects remain guarded.

Rankin received a total sentence of four and a half years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of three years. Had he not entered a guilty plea, the judge indicated he would have faced a six-year term.

Upon his eventual release, Rankin will be subject to strict supervision, including a two-year good behavior bond, mandatory sex offender and alcohol rehabilitation programs, and travel bans. Due to his classification as a serious sexual offender, he will also face lifetime reporting obligations to the Mildura Police.