The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), working with the Queensland Police Service (QPS), has charged a North Lakes man with the alleged sexual abuse of a child and child abuse material offences.
The man, 44, is expected to re-appear in Pine Rivers Magistrates Court today (5 August, 2024) after he was remanded in custody during his first court appearance on 7 June, 2024.
Police arrested the man on 6 June, 2024, after the AFP-led ACCCE investigated intelligence sent from the FBI about a user sharing child abuse material on a messaging platform.
It will be alleged that investigators from the ACCCE Operations Development and Disruption Unit (ODDU) linked the profile to a Queensland man, based in North Lakes.
AFP officers from the ODDU and QPS officers from Argos executed a search warrant at a home in Griffin on 6 June, 2024, where they found child abuse material on three mobile phones.
It will also be alleged the mobile phones contained intimate images of a woman which the man was distributing online without her consent.
The AFP has charged the man with:
- Two counts of indecent treatment of a child, under 16, under 12 and under care, contrary to section 210 of the Criminal Code 1899 (QLD). This carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment;
- Three counts of making child exploitation material, contrary to section 228B of the Criminal Code 1899 (QLD). This offence carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment;
- Three counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). This offence carries a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment; and
- One count of possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). This offence carries a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment.
The QPS has also charged the man with:
- Eight counts of distributing intimate images without consent (domestic violence offences), contrary to section 223 of the Criminal Code 1899 (QLD); and
- One count of contravening a domestic violence order, contrary to section 117 of the Domestic Violence and Family Protection Act 2012 (QLD).
AFP Detective Superintendent Frank Rayner said the investigation highlighted the importance of law enforcement working together to protect children.
"The AFP-led ACCCE and QPS are dedicated in our mission to protect children here in Queensland and across Australia from anyone who would seek to exploit or abuse them," Detective Superintendent Rayner said.
"Our combined resources are always at work to remove child victims from further harm and break the cycle of abuse."
Detective Inspector Glen Donaldson of the Queensland Police Service unit Argos said the arrest is an excellent outcome, made possible through the exceptional collaboration between the QPS and AFP.
"This joint effort underscores the importance of interagency cooperation in our shared mission to target high-harm offenders and enhance community safety," Detective Inspector Donaldson said.
"Having QPS and AFP officers co-located at the ACCCE working on joint investigations is testament to our collective dedication to ensuring the safety and security of our children and the Queensland community."
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.
