A Gold Coast man was yesterday (23 January, 2025) sentenced to two years' imprisonment by the Southport District Court for online child abuse material offences.
The man, 60, was released immediately on entering a recognizance order to serve his sentence in the community as long as he remains of good behaviour for a three-year period, including two years of supervision by a probation officer.
In September, 2021, the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the United States' National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about the uploading of child abuse material to an online storage platform.
The Northern Command Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (NC JACET) linked the man to the illegal online activity and executed a search warrant at his Merrimac home in June, 2022.
Digital forensic analysis of a computer tower seized by investigators found 104 videos and one image of child abuse.
The man was arrested and charged with two online child abuse material offences.
At a hearing in March, 2024, he pleaded guilty to:
One count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to sections 474.22(1)(a)(i) (aa) and (b) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
One count of possessing child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Tim Puchala said children were not commodities for sexual gratification.
"Anyone viewing online child abuse material is feeding demand for children to be harmed," Det a/Superintendent Puchala said.
"Behind every image is a real child being subjected to trauma that could stay with them for the rest of their lives."
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the ACCCE is driving a collaborative national approach to combatting child abuse.
The ACCCE brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into online child sexual exploitation and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.
Members of the public who have information about people involved in child abuse are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.
If you or someone you know is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available.
Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 revealed only about half of parents talked to their children about online safety. Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found at the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
