Australian dad pleads guilty to importing child sex dolls

An Australian father has pleaded guilty to importing child sex dolls, made to look like girls as young as six years old.

Hayden Cole, 40, entered his plea at Perth Magistrates Court conceding to two attempts to import prohibited goods last June and November.

Cole used the internet to order two lifelike dolls which were intercepted by the Australian Border Force, PerthNow reported.

Authorities said the dolls are in the category labelled 'objectionable goods'. The dolls have rubber skin and anatomically correct genitalia.

Cole's lawyer requested pre-sentence, psychiatric and psychological reports be carried out before sentencing.

Cole, from the Perth suburb of Dianella in Western Australia, is due back in court in October.

The Australian Border Force has cracked down on these dolls and have seized at least 18 consignments of them sent from overseas since 2013.

The life-size dolls, which resemble children, have recently hit the headlines as police around the world seek to clamp down on imports from China and the Far East.

One child sex doll manufacturer claims the dolls can be used to help paedophiles control their urges, however experts have said there is no evidence to support this and warned products normalising children in sexualised ways could reinforce paedophilic behaviour.

An Australian department of Immigration and Border Protection spokeswoman said the possession of "anatomically correct child dolls" was an offence because they were considered child exploitation material.

The UK's National Crime Agency said earlier this month it has seized 123 of these "anatomically detailed and correct" silicone dolls so far this year, which cost around £800.

British-based charity StopSo, which offers therapy to sex offenders, said the dolls could help those attracted to children manage their behaviour safely.

But the UK's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) called for online retailers to immediately remove "these grotesque dolls".