A West Australian man who tried to hide his mobile phone from police has been sentenced to nine years and nine months' imprisonment for possessing child exploitation material.
The Safety Bay man, 54, was sentenced by the Perth District Court on Friday (28 March, 2025) and will serve a non-parole period of five years and 11 months.
The investigation began in June, 2023, when the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the United States' National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an online user uploading child exploitation material.
The Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) linked the man to the illegal activity and executed a search warrant at his Safety Bay home in November, 2023.
When investigators requested the man hand over his mobile phone, he told them he had dropped it in the ocean while fishing the previous day.
Following a search of the home, investigators found the man's mobile phone hidden on top of a hot water system. It contained three videos depicting young children being sexually abused.
At a hearing on 28 March, 2025, the man pleaded guilty to:
- One count of possessing child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth),
- One count of aggravated use of a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.24A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth), and
- One count of failed to comply with an order under section 3LA(2) of the Crimes Act 1914(Cth), contrary to section 3LA(6) of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth).
AFP Inspector Andrea Coleman said the AFP, together with its state and territory law enforcement partners, remained committed to protecting children from these sickening crimes.
"Anyone who uploads or views this abhorrent material is contributing to the exploitation and abuse of children,'' Insp Coleman said.
"In this case, the man not only attempted to hide his mobile phone from investigators, he refused to give them access to his device, which he was compelled to do by law.
"The man's actions failed to stop investigators and our message to offenders has not changed - if you procure, access and transmit child exploitation material, you will be found, arrested and prosecuted."
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the 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.
