A former Canberra childcare worker has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for indecently touching a young boy in his care. A supreme court judge found the man showed no remorse for his offending and had few positive prospects for rehabilitation.

ABC NEWS (Australia)

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00:00 A four-year-old boy speaking up sent former childcare worker Muhammad Ali to prison.

00:08 The 30-year-old was sentenced to 18 months behind bars after a jury convicted him for

00:13 pinching the boy's genitals while in his care last year.

00:17 The ACT Supreme Court heard it happened in a CCTV blind spot at the childcare centre

00:23 where Ali was casually employed.

00:25 "Ali pinched me on the doodle," the boy said in a police interview at the time, later telling

00:31 the court it made him feel "scared and sad and hurt" and he sometimes found he couldn't

00:37 breathe.

00:38 The boy's mother also told the court she now found herself constantly searching other parents

00:44 and children for indicators of abuse.

00:47 She told reporters after the sentencing that she had to put a stop to the man's offending.

00:52 "Knowing that if I didn't do anything that this man would still be working in childcare."

00:57 Justice Belinda Baker said Ali had exploited the boy's acute vulnerability and committed

01:03 a gross breach of trust.

01:05 "Sexual offending against our children causes deep harm," she told the court.

01:10 The court heard Ali had shown no remorse and had not accepted responsibility for his offending.

01:16 He was also assessed last week as having an average risk of general re-offending but an

01:21 above average risk of sexual re-offending.

01:25 He'll be eligible for parole in 12 months.

01:27 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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