A Perth man has been sentenced to six months' imprisonment for online child abuse offences, which included transmitting computer-generated images and creating stories about the abuse of young children.
The man, 18, was sentenced in the Perth Children's Court on Monday (15 July, 2024) after pleading guilty in May (2024) to six offences, which were committed when he was aged 17.
The Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) charged the juvenile in April 2024 after investigating a report from the United States' National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an online user uploading child abuse material.
WA JACET, which comprises AFP and Western Australia Police Force officers, linked the juvenile to the illegal material and executed a search warrant at his home in Perth's southern suburbs in August 2023.
When police examined his mobile phone they found stories, images and videos depicting adult men exploiting and abusing infants and children.
Police identified the images and videos had been accessed from the internet while the stories created by the juvenile described violent, cruel, and graphic acts of sexual abuse and violence against toddlers and children.
The juvenile had also conversed with others online about sexually abusing children.
AFP Detective Sergeant Karen Addiscott said the Judge had described the offending as serious and incredibly disturbing.
"This matter is a reminder that there is no stereotypical offender, young people can also sadly be involved in the exploitation of children," Det-Sgt Addiscott said.
"The AFP and its Australian and international partners are working tirelessly to identify anyone creating or accessing content that depicts the sexualisation or abuse of children and put them before the courts."
The man was convicted of:
- One count of creating, developing, altering or maintaining an electronic service with the intention that the electronic service be used by him or another person to commit an offence, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) and, in circumstances of aggravation, contrary to section 474.23A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
- One count of committing an offence contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth) on three or more separate occasions and, in circumstances of aggravation where the commission of the offence involved two or more people, contrary to section 474.24A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
- Four counts of transmitting child abuse material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for each of the first two offences is 20 years' imprisonment. The maximum penalty for the third offence is 15 years' imprisonment.
The man was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, but was immediately released on a $2000, 12-month good behaviour bond.
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.
