A Melbourne man has been sentenced to 13 months' imprisonment for online child abuse offences, including using an artificial intelligence program to produce child abuse images.
The man was sentenced by Melbourne County Court on 25 July, 2024, after pleading guilty to two offences.
The Victorian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (VIC JACET), which comprises members from the AFP and Victoria Police, linked the man to an online user engaging in sexualised conversations about children and transmitting child abuse material.
A search warrant was executed at the man's home in May, 2023, with investigators seizing a computer tower and disk station later found to contain child abuse material.
Police found the man had used an AI image generation program and inputted text and images to create 793 realistic child abuse images.
AFP Superintendent Bernard Geason said child abuse material generated by AI and conversations about sexually exploiting or abusing children were illegal and punishable by Commonwealth law.
"Anything that depicts the abuse of children - whether that's videos, images, drawings or stories - is child abuse material," Supt Geason said.
"The AFP and its law enforcement partners will continue to identify and prosecute individuals creating and sharing this abhorrent content and put them before the courts."
Victoria Police Detective Superintendent Tim McKinney from Cybercrime Division said AI is an evolving issue in this space.
"We are encountering a rise in the reporting of offending where AI is being used in the creation of child abuse material," D/Supt McKinney said.
"In some instances, real children are being used to help create these images, objectifying these innocent victims, most of whom are unaware their images are being used in this way. AI that depicts child abuse material is illegal and punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment."
The man, 48, pleaded guilty to the following offences on 25 July 2024:
- One count of producing child abuse material, contrary to section 51C of the Crimes Act 1958 (Victoria); and
- Using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
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. 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.
