A central NSW man has been sentenced by the Parramatta District Court today (7 March, 2025) to 18 months' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of six months, for soliciting and sharing child abuse material online.
Investigations into the man began after the AFP received intelligence from NSW Police regarding an online user who purchased child abuse material.
Further inquiries showed the man, 38, engaged in online conversations on a messaging platform and solicited images and videos of female minors.
The AFP linked the man to the illegal activity and charged him in November, 2023.
The man pleaded guilty in August, 2024, to eight counts of using a carriage service for child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Detective Inspector Emmanuel Tsardoulias said procuring child abuse material was not a victimless crime.
"Our message to online offenders has not changed - if you procure, access and transmit child abuse material, you will be found, arrested and prosecuted," Det Insp Tsardoulias said.
"These children are real people and not commodities to be used for the grotesque gratification of predators."
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. 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.
