A man has been sentenced to eight years and three months' imprisonment by the Perth District Court today (6 June, 2024) for accessing and sharing child abuse material, which included videos and images of toddlers being sexually abused.
He pleaded guilty in December, 2023, to 14 online child abuse offences, some of which related to conversations he had in internet child abuse chat groups, where he spoke about his desire to sexually abuse young children.
The Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) initially charged the man, 36, in May, 2023, after investigating a report from the United States' National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about the man uploading child abuse material to a social media platform.
WA JACET investigators executed a search warrant at his home in the Perth suburb of Brabham on 4 May, 2023, and found child abuse material on his computer and mobile phone.
The man was initially charged with six offences relating to accessing, possessing and transmitting child abuse material.
A forensic review of the seized devices and further investigation uncovered the horrific online conversations, and the man was charged with further offences on 24 May, 2023.
AFP Detective Sergeant Karen Addiscott said anyone who viewed images and videos of children being sexually abused, or discussed a desire to abuse children, was committing a crime.
"The AFP and its partners, across Australia and overseas, are committed to protecting children and prosecuting anyone involved in their harm," Detective Sergeant Addiscott said.
"Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators and the demand for videos and images depicting abuse contributes to the physical harm and torture of innocent children."
The man pleaded guilty to:
- Seven counts of transmitting child abuse material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- Four counts of accessing child abuse material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- Two counts of possessing or controlling child abuse material on a computer or data storage device, having obtained or accessed the material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
- One count of committing an offence against section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth) on three or more separate occasions and in circumstances where the commission of the offence involved two or more people, contrary to section 474.24A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
He was sentenced to eight years and three months' imprisonment with a non-parole period of four years and five months.
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 here.
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 ThinkUKnow, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
