A Queensland man has been sentenced to five years' imprisonment for child grooming and child abuse material-related offences.
The Deception Bay man, 59, was sentenced in the Brisbane District Court today (19 July, 2024) after pleading guilty yesterday (18 July, 2024) to 10 offences.
The investigation began in July, 2021, after the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received reports from the United States' National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about child abuse material being uploaded to Instagram.
AFP Northern Command Child Protection Operations investigators linked the man from the Moreton Bay Region to the account that uploaded the child abuse material online.
Officers executed a search warrant at the man's home in September 2021, where they searched the property with assistance from an AFP technology detection dog.
AFP Forensic specialists examined the mobile phones located at the home, which were found to contain child abuse material and account details linked to the Instagram account where the child abuse material was uploaded.
The man used an image of a young man and called himself "Ben" in an attempt to communicate with young girls online.
The man was charged in September, 2021 with 10 offences:
- Three counts of using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(i)(iv) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- One count of using a carriage service to groom a person under 16 years of age, contrary to section 474.27(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- One count of procuring a person under 16 years of age, contrary to section 474.26(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- Two counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- Two counts of causing child abuse material to be transmitted to self, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
- One count of possessing child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Tim Puchala said the AFP would not stop working to protect children online from the threat of grooming and other offences.
"AFP investigators will look into every report of child sexual abuse to stop the exploitation of children and bring to justice the people contributing to this abhorrent offending," Detective Acting Superintendent Tim Puchala said.
The man has been sentenced to five years' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of three years.
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.
