A 33-year-old man faced Burwood Local Court yesterday (28 April 2022) charged with allegedly sharing child abuse material on end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms.
Officers from the AFP Eastern Command Child Protection Operations and the NSW Police Force Child Exploitation Internet Unit arrested and charged the man earlier this week (27 April 2022) after allegedly finding child abuse material on a number of electronic devices during a search of his Auburn home.
Earlier this month, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) began an investigation targeting Australian offenders identified during a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operation targeting those who were using social media and other chat applications to access and share child abuse material.
The investigation identified the man as sharing child abuse material on social media and end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms.
The man was arrested and charged with:
- One count of solicit child abuse material, contrary to s474.22(1)(a)(iv) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
- One count of transmit child abuse material, contrary to s474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
- Two counts of possess child abuse material, contrary to s474.22(A) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth); and
- One count of possess prohibited drug, contrary to s10 of the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW).
The maximum penalty upon conviction for these offences is 15 years' imprisonment (Cth) and two years' imprisonment (NSW) respectively.
AFP Detective Sergeant Jarryd Dunbar said the AFP works with international partners to stop those seeking to access children online before they can cause harm.
"Our officers work tirelessly to hunt down offenders to ensure those seeking to access children for sexual offences online are prosecuted," Detective Sergeant Dunbar said.
"This work is gut-wrenching, but our investigators are relentless in their pursuit of anyone sharing or accessing child abuse material, and they will follow-up any information to bring these people to justice."
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.
