Convicted child sex offender Peter Truong has told the ABC in an exclusive interview that he does not think he is a predator and that he misses his son.
In one of Australia's most shocking child exploitation cases, Truong and his American partner Mark Newton sexually abused their adopted son and flew him around the world for other men to molest.
The pair bought the boy for $8,000 in 2005.
In February 2012, Newton and Truong were arrested following a remarkable global investigation involving authorities from three continents.
Truong was sentenced to 30 years in a US prison in December last year, while Newton has been jailed for 40 years.
In an exclusive interview with the ABC (Australia's) Four Corners program, Truong and his psychologist describe how he was himself a victim.
Speaking from prison in Florida, Truong says others convinced him that although sex with boys was illegal, it was "not wrong". "They were very convincing, to be honest with you," Truong said from the Marianna correction centre.
"They pointed me to different psychological studies, different books, different articles, and they even pointed me to history - it's the right thing, it's not bad, it's what they [children] want, it's good for them. "This was drummed into my head."
Despite the crimes he has been convicted of, Truong draws a distinction between himself and the other prisoners he is housed with.
"I love my son dearly and the last thing in the world I ever wanted to do was to hurt him," he said.
Truong says he has begun to understand the magnitude of his actions and he has "a lot of regret".
He says he wants the public to know that he is not a "bad person". "I'm fun, I'm a father, I'm a brother. You know, I'm a human being," he said.
"I know I've got problems and I'm trying my best to work through these problems now that I'm aware that some of the issues that I have are problems, and big problems."
While Truong and Newton are behind bars, the boy they abused is now nine and living with relatives. Police say he is "inundated" with support.
Psychologist Dr Robert Halon has been evaluating sex offenders for more than 30 years. He spent six hours interviewing Truong in prison.
Dr Halon says the community needs to start thinking about the offender and trying to understand why they commit these crimes.
"It's easy to sit out and judge and to be out here and to see the devastation that a lot of these people do and how horrible they are and we have all kinds of horrible nicknames for them," he said.
"But it's another thing to actually sit with a human being and to see the road that they travelled to get where they are.
"They didn't all travel the same road, I can tell you that."
So many men are in prison partly because they were sexually abused as children. On the other hand, so many of us were sexually abused as children and did not end up in prison. Being molested as a child is certainly a factor in becoming a pedophile but there are other factors that need to be present as well. Factors like a complete lack of moral character; like allowing oneself to be deceived as Truong did; like extreme narcissism; etc. etc.
I'm happy to see that Truong is beginning to see his errors, there is some hope for his soul. You might want to pray for him.
In one of Australia's most shocking child exploitation cases, Truong and his American partner Mark Newton sexually abused their adopted son and flew him around the world for other men to molest.
The pair bought the boy for $8,000 in 2005.
In February 2012, Newton and Truong were arrested following a remarkable global investigation involving authorities from three continents.
Truong was sentenced to 30 years in a US prison in December last year, while Newton has been jailed for 40 years.
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| Peter Truong, Mark Newton, and the child the bought for $8,000 |
Speaking from prison in Florida, Truong says others convinced him that although sex with boys was illegal, it was "not wrong". "They were very convincing, to be honest with you," Truong said from the Marianna correction centre.
"They pointed me to different psychological studies, different books, different articles, and they even pointed me to history - it's the right thing, it's not bad, it's what they [children] want, it's good for them. "This was drummed into my head."
Despite the crimes he has been convicted of, Truong draws a distinction between himself and the other prisoners he is housed with.
"I love my son dearly and the last thing in the world I ever wanted to do was to hurt him," he said.
Truong says he has begun to understand the magnitude of his actions and he has "a lot of regret".
He says he wants the public to know that he is not a "bad person". "I'm fun, I'm a father, I'm a brother. You know, I'm a human being," he said.
"I know I've got problems and I'm trying my best to work through these problems now that I'm aware that some of the issues that I have are problems, and big problems."
While Truong and Newton are behind bars, the boy they abused is now nine and living with relatives. Police say he is "inundated" with support.
Psychologist Dr Robert Halon has been evaluating sex offenders for more than 30 years. He spent six hours interviewing Truong in prison.
Dr Halon says the community needs to start thinking about the offender and trying to understand why they commit these crimes.
"It's easy to sit out and judge and to be out here and to see the devastation that a lot of these people do and how horrible they are and we have all kinds of horrible nicknames for them," he said.
"But it's another thing to actually sit with a human being and to see the road that they travelled to get where they are.
"They didn't all travel the same road, I can tell you that."
So many men are in prison partly because they were sexually abused as children. On the other hand, so many of us were sexually abused as children and did not end up in prison. Being molested as a child is certainly a factor in becoming a pedophile but there are other factors that need to be present as well. Factors like a complete lack of moral character; like allowing oneself to be deceived as Truong did; like extreme narcissism; etc. etc.
I'm happy to see that Truong is beginning to see his errors, there is some hope for his soul. You might want to pray for him.
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