Alec Stephen West, a 32-year-old man, has been sentenced to over 11 years in prison for creating a disturbing online game that encouraged sexual exploitation of children as young as 12. During a recent hearing at the Victorian County Court, Judge Gerard Mullaly described the game as “abhorrent,” highlighting that players were prompted to engage in sexual abuse, with the game ending if they failed to do so.
Despite the animated characters being fictional, the judge pointed out that the lifelike quality of the animations normalised such abuse and portrayed a serious issue. Judge Mullaly stated that the game’s reach was extensive, having been downloaded thousands of times, and that West had profited nearly $1 million from subscribers over three years.
When arrested in August 2023, West claimed that developing and updating the game was his full-time occupation, admitting to having exploited a market niche. The judge condemned him as an “entrepreneur profiting from this sordid market,” noting his sexualisation of children and normalisation of incest as a troubling reflection of his character.
In addition to the gaming charges, authorities discovered 577 images and videos of real children being abused on devices belonging to West at his home in Geelong. He also confessed to secretly filming three female neighbours. A psychologist diagnosed West with traits indicative of paedophilic disorder, as well as narcissistic and antisocial personality traits.
Judge Mullaly remarked that West had shown no remorse for his actions, although he did plead guilty early in the process and cooperated with the police. Ultimately, he received a sentence of 11 years and seven months, with a non-parole period set at eight years and four months. West has already completed 113 days of pre-sentence detention.