A 33-year-old British national has been arrested and charged on arrival into Sydney after a significant volume of child abuse material was allegedly found stored on the passenger’s laptop and mobile phone.
The man, a UK citizen residing in NSW, returned from a holiday in London when he was subject to a baggage examination by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at Sydney Airport.
ABF officers located multiple folders, sub-folders and mobile applications within his devices allegedly containing explicit imagery. The content was assessed to be child abuse material.
The man was then arrested and charged by ABF investigators under section 233bab(5) of the Customs Act 1901, intentionally importing tier 2 goods, which if convicted could result in up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
ABF Enforcement and Detained Goods East Commander Justin Bathurst said the ABF continues to be the community’s first line of defence against abhorrent child abuse material and those who carry it.
“ABF officers are highly skilled in locating all kinds of prohibited items, regardless of whether they’re carried in physical luggage or on digital devices,” Commander Bathurst said.
“Not only is child abuse material illegal, but there are very real child victims who have been subject to abuse and harm in creating these abhorrent images.
“Together with our state and federal law enforcement partners, we will continue to prevent the importation, possession and further distribution of this vile content and see to it that those responsible face the consequences of their actions.”
The man appeared before the Downing Centre Local Court on 31 January 2023, where he was refused bail and remanded in custody to appear before court on 28 March 2023.
If you have information about suspicious border activity or border-related crime in your community, you can report it anytime through Border Watch at borderwatch.gov.au. Information can be provided anonymously.
