A Perth man, has been sentenced to a 15-months suspended prison term and released on a good behaviour bond for three years for sharing child abuse material online.
He will have to serve the suspended sentence and pay a fine of $5000 if he fails to complete drug and sexual abuse counselling.
The man, 47, was sentenced today in the Perth District Court today (15 November 2022) after he pleaded guilty in August 2022 to two offences.
In November 2021, officers from the Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET), comprising AFP and WA Police officers, executed a search warrant on the man when he arrived on a flight at Perth Domestic Airport. During the search warrant officers allegedly found child abuse material stored on his mobile phone and arrested and charged the man.
The search warrant was a result of a referral from the United States’ ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) into the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) regarding a social media user uploading child abuse material. Investigators from the JACET linked the man to the online messaging platform.
AFP Detective Inspector Andrea Coleman said the AFP, together with its state, territory and international law enforcement partners, remained committed to protecting our community’s most vulnerable – our children.
“Anyone who views this material is committing a crime,” Det-Insp Coleman said.
“This is not a victimless crime. Every child abuse image is a crime scene photo of a sexual assault, and trading them only serves to encourage and embolden abusers. Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators.”
The man pleaded guilty to the following offences:
- One count of possession of child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
- One count of transmitting child abuse material to self, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for each of these offence is fifteen years’ imprisonment.
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 and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or . If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.
Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 revealed only about half of parents talked to their children about online safety.
An award-winning podcast launched last year by the ACCCE ‘Closing The Net’ is working to change that, showcasing that knowledge is power and that our only chance to help prevent this issue is if we bring a ‘whole-of-community’ response.
The podcast series offers valuable tips and advice on how to keep kids safe online. Listen to the podcast on your favourite streaming platform.
If you or someone you know are impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation there are support services available at .
Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found at , an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
