A former Jetstar employee has been sentenced to jail but immediately released on a court order after authorities discovered he possessed dozens of files containing child abuse material. Chanthakone Nouanphanthakoun, who also uses the first name Jackson, told police during interviews that the illicit content was "fun to have."
Arrest and Employment Background
Nouanphanthakoun was arrested in December 2024 by the Australian Border Force (ABF) upon his return to Australia from Thailand. At the time of his arrest, the 25-year-old was employed as a customer service agent for Swissport, an airport ground service provider operating in Victoria. His social media profiles confirmed this role.
Prior to his position at Swissport, Nouanphanthakoun had worked for more than eighteen months as a flight attendant with Regional Express (Rex). Before that, he spent two months as a customer service agent for the budget airline Jetstar.
Discovery of Child Abuse Material
The County Court heard on Monday that Nouanphanthakoun voluntarily handed his phone to airport security after landing at an Australian airport when asked if he had any items in his pockets. Subsequent forensic examination revealed 111 files of child abuse material stored in his iCloud account and within his messages.
Among the discoveries was a "vault" mobile application containing a folder explicitly named "kids." Additionally, Nouanphanthakoun was charged with sending a video in April 2021 that depicted two children, aged between five and eight, engaging in sexual activity.
Defendant's Statements to Police
During police interviews, Nouanphanthakoun claimed that many of the images had been auto-saved from a WhatsApp group, which he asserted he had left by the time of his arrest. He further admitted to deleting a significant portion of the material but confessed to keeping some files because he "thought it'd be fun to have."
Sentencing and Court Order
Judge Anthony Lewis sentenced Nouanphanthakoun to ten months in jail on charges related to child abuse material. However, he will not serve any time behind bars as he was released from custody on a recognisance order. This court order requires him to be of good behaviour for a period of three years.
The court was informed that Nouanphanthakoun demonstrated potential for rehabilitation and showed genuine remorse for his offending behaviour. Judge Lewis emphasised the severe impact of such crimes, stating, "The trade and engagement of child abuse material supports an industry founded on the exploitation of children incapable of protecting themselves."
He added, "The harm is both immediate and long lasting as their images will likely remain accessible indefinitely."
Assessment of the Offences
The court heard that the former Jetstar employee's offences were considered "lacking sophistication" and were placed on the "lower end" of cases involving child abuse material. Judge Lewis noted that Nouanphanthakoun's "immaturity" during the period of offending "likely contributed" to his actions.
When contacted for comment, Jetstar declined to provide a statement. The Daily Mail also reached out to Nouanphanthakoun, Rex, and Swissport for their responses regarding the case.
