A mother who took “confronting” naked images of her young daughters was trying to further their dancing careers because she was obsessed with fame, a court has heard.

The woman, who cannot be named, was charged with producing and disseminating child abuse material following an investigation into alleged sexual and indecent assaults on dance school students by their teacher Grant Davies.

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Davies ran a studio in Sydney’s inner west and trained performers for hit productions, including Billy Elliot.

At the mother’s sentence hearing on Monday, psychiatrist Dr Antony Milch said the mother had taken the images believing it would be “the factor” that would promote her daughters at the dance studio.

She also exploited them in order to satisfy her own obsession with dancing and fame, he said.

The Downing Centre District Court heard the 42-year-old’s own dance dreams had faltered after she battled with anorexia.

She then worked as a topless dancer in a strip club where it is alleged she was sexually assaulted.

Judge Peter Zahra asked Dr Milch to view the images the mother took of her two daughters.

“I hadn’t seen the images before,” Dr Milch said, adding “they are extremely confronting and distressing.

“I think it is difficult to understand how any mother could take such images and provide them to other parties to disseminate the material.”

Dr Milch said he didn’t believe the woman had an understanding of what she had done, nor has she expressed any guilt.

Nevertheless, he said she should be reunited with her two daughters.

The mother has pleaded guilty to two counts of using a child under the age of 14 for the production of child abuse material and two counts of disseminating child abuse material.

Her hearing continues.

Davies is facing more than 60 charges, including child sex and child pornography offences.