A 36-year-old New South Wales (NSW) man has been sentenced to four years and six months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to possessing child abuse material.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP)-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report that an Australian user was accessing child abuse material.
The South-Western Sydney man was arrested in July 2020 after members of the AFP's Eastern Command Child Protection Operations and members of the AFP's Eastern Command Imagery and Geomatics, together with New South Wales Police Child Exploitation and Internet Unit, executed a search warrant at a property in Leumeah, NSW.
During the search warrant a number of electronic devices were seized and found to contain child abuse material.
AFP investigators charged the man with:
- 1 x possess or control child abuse material, obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- 1 x use carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- 2 x use carriage service to transmit, make available, publish, distribute, advertise or promote material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
In March 2021, the man pleaded guilty to the offences and was yesterday (23 July 2021) sentenced in the Campbelltown District Court to four years and six months' imprisonment.
The ACCCE is committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and is at the centre of a collaborative national approach to combatting organised child abuse.
The Centre brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into child sexual abuse and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.
Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online.
If you or someone you know are impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation there are support services available.
Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protection children online can be found at ThinkUKnow, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
