A West Australian man has been sentenced to six years' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of four years, after authorities found child exploitation material on his phone when he returned from overseas.
The Perth man, 49, was sentenced in the Perth District Court yesterday (25 February, 2025) after pleading guilty to 12 charges relating to possessing, accessing, transmitting and soliciting child abuse material.
An investigation started after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at Perth Airport examined the man's baggage when he arrived on an international flight in late February, 2024.
They found child abuse material on a phone in his possession and alerted the West Australian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET).
WA JACET officers also examined the phone and discovered images and videos of a child being sexually abused, as well as records of online conversations with a person overseas discussing payment for the abusive content.
The man was subsequently charged with:
One count of possessing child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
Eight counts of transmitting child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
Two counts of soliciting child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 (1)(a)(iv) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
One count of accessing child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Detective Inspector Andrea Coleman said the AFP remained committed to protecting the most vulnerable people in our community.
"Unfortunately, online child abuse material is not rare, and is a focus for the AFP and other law enforcement agencies," Det Insp Coleman said.
"AFP investigators in WA are working with AFP members based overseas and with international authorities to identify the child and the abuse facilitator.
"Anyone who views this material is committing a crime. Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators.
"The AFP is working closely with the ABF and other partners to protect children, wherever they live, and to ensure anyone who tries to harm them is identified and brought before the courts."
ABF Acting Superintendent Tim Sutton said ABF officers at Perth Airport were finding child abuse material on the electronic devices of passengers all too often in recent years.
"It is our sincere hope that jail sentences like this sends an unequivocal message: any involvement or association with child abuse material is simply not acceptable in our society and we will act decisively with law enforcement partners to protect children from this criminal act," a/Supt Sutton said.
WA JACET comprises AFP and Western Australia Police Force officers.
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation 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 at www.accce.gov.au/report. 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 at www.accce.gov.au/support.
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 www.thinkuknow.org.au, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
