A New South Wales man has been sentenced to 12 years and three months' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of eight years, for online child abuse material and grooming offences.
The man, 33, was sentenced yesterday (8 October, 2024) by the Downing Centre District Court after pleading guilty to eight charges in September, 2024.
The AFP's Eastern Command Child Protection Operations Team charged the man in September, 2021, after investigators received a report from the United States' National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an individual uploading child abuse material to a cloud storage service.
The man was arrested at his Glenwood home on 21 September, 2021, after investigators from the AFP and New South Wales Police Force (NSWPF) executed a search warrant at the residence.
Officers located child abuse material on the man's iPod, which he attempted to hide in the waistband of his underpants.
Investigators found the man had been communicating with more than 40 young boys and had coerced them into producing child abuse material to send to him.
The man pleaded guilty on 27 September, 2024 to:
- Three counts of using a carriage service to cause child abuse material to be transmitted to self, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- One count of using a carriage service to make child abuse material available, contrary to section 474.22 (1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- One count of using a carriage service for sexual activity with a person under 16 years, contrary to section 474.25A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- One count of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- One count of failing to comply with reporting obligations, namely usernames, contrary to section 17(1) of the Child Protection (Offenders Registration) Act 2000 (NSW); and
- One count of failing to comply with reporting obligations, namely emails, contrary to section 17(1) of the Child Protection (Offenders Registration) Act 2000 (NSW).
AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Fogarty said the AFP had strong working relationships with partners around the world to find justice for child victims.
"Our message to offenders is clear - if you engage in these abhorrent activities, you will be found and face the full force of the law," Detective Superintendent Fogarty said.
"Online child abuse causes significant harm to victims who suffer each time images or videos of their abuse is accessed and shared."
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (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 at www.accce.gov.au/report. 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 at www.accce.gov.au/support.
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 www.thinkuknow.org.au, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
