A south west Sydney man is expected to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court today (25 March, 2025) charged with sexual activity with a child outside Australia and producing child abuse material.
An AFP investigation into the man, 29, began after he returned to Australia from a trip to Thailand on 28 January, 2025.
The man and his luggage were examined by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at Sydney Airport, where they allegedly found video content containing child abuse material on his phone.
A search warrant was subsequently executed at the man's home in the Sydney suburb of Bossley Park on Wednesday, 29 January, 2025, with investigators allegedly locating a mobile device. The devices were seized for further forensic examination.
The man was arrested and charged with:
- One count of sexual activity (other than sexual intercourse) with child outside Australia contrary to section 272.9(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 20 years' imprisonment.
- One count of producing child abuse material, contrary to section 473.23(1)(a)(ii) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 15 years' imprisonment.
The man appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday, 29 January, 2025, where he was refused bail. He is scheduled to reappear at the Downing Centre today (25 March 2025)
AFP Detective acting Superintendent Emmanuel Tsardoulias said the AFP worked tirelessly with its law enforcement partners to protect children and bring alleged perpetrators before the courts.
"To those who wish to prop up this vile industry for their own gratification - the AFP and its partners will continue to hold you accountable for this abhorrent behaviour.
ABF Superintendent Elke West said partner agencies all work together towards a common goal, to protect children both on and offshore from harm.
"Exploiting children for individual gratification is a practice which must be stamped out, we all need to come together to protect our most vulnerable from this abuse," Supt West said.
"ABF officers on the frontline at airports are identifying and seizing this abhorrent material, working with our international partners to then protect and remove children from any further harm."
About the ACCCE:
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is driving a collaborative national approach.
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.
