A South Australian man will appear before the Elizabeth Magistrates Court today (23 January, 2024) after being charged with allegedly grooming a child and child abuse material offences.
The South Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (SA JACET), comprising members from the AFP and South Australia Police, commenced an investigation into the man after receiving information from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) regarding a South Australian man allegedly sending thousands of explicit messages to a child via social media platforms, as well as possessing child abuse material.
Investigators allegedly linked the man, 34, to the alleged illegal child grooming activity and identified the man had allegedly sent hundreds of detailed messages to other online users about child abuse material.
SA JACET members executed a search warrant at the man's home in the Adelaide suburb of Munno Para on 16 January, 2024. Electronic devices, including a mobile phone, were located at the man's residence and were examined by digital forensic specialists.
Analysis of the devices allegedly identified child abuse material and hundreds of online messages to online users containing child abuse material.
SA JACET seized the electronic devices and they will be subject to further forensic examination.
The man has been charged with:
- Two counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth); and
- One count of using a carriage service to procure child under 16 year-of-age for sexual activity, contrary to section 474.26 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for the offence is 15 years' imprisonment.
AFP Sergeant Joe Barry said the AFP worked closely with Australian and international partners to help protect children and encouraged parents and carers to discuss online safety to keep their children safe.
"Our investigators work tirelessly to protect children from harm. We also need the assistance of the community. We urge parents and carers to talk to their children about what platforms, apps and games they are using and remind them never to reveal personal information to any friends they met online,'' Sergeant Barry said.
"Supervision is not only critical to helping prevent an incident happening but can also help adults to quickly take action if they need to alert law enforcement."
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.
