A 67-year-old woman has been sentenced to a total of two years' jail by the Perth District Court last week after pleading guilty to possessing and sending child abuse material (CAM) and bestiality images on her electronic devices.
The abhorrent images were discovered when Australian Border Force (ABF) officers stopped the woman after she arrived at Melbourne Airport on an international flight on 15 August 2023, intending to take a connecting flight to Perth.
ABF officers located both CAM and bestiality images stored on her mobile phone and laptop dating as far back to 2018. WA Police were also investigating the woman for related state-based CAM-related offences.
In January 2024 the woman entered pleas of guilty to two counts of possessing CAM and using a carriage service, and one count of transmitting CAM and was sentenced in the Perth District Court on 17 December 2024.
The woman also pled guilty to a separate charge of exporting bestiality (Prohibited export comprising abhorrent phenomena contrary to s233(1)(c) Customs Act 1901 and prohibited import comprising abhorrent phenomena contrary to s233(1)(b) Customs Act 1901) and was fined $15,000.
ABF Acting Inspector David Gordon said the ABF was often the first line of defence at international airports when it came to the detection of child abuse material, and professionally trained officers remained alert to its importation.
"Possessing and sharing child abuse and bestiality images is by no means a victimless crime and we are determined to protect the Australian community from its impacts," Acting Inspector Gordon said.
"We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners, including WA Police, to ensure those who commit these offences are accountable before the courts."
