AFP investigators using new technology have identified and charged an Adelaide man for multiple child abuse offences.
The South Australian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (SA JACET), comprising officers from the AFP and South Australian Police, made the critical breakthrough in the investigation last week after years of piecing together clues found in online pictures and applying state-of-the-art technology that led to the identification of the offender.
SA JACET investigators executed a search warrant at the man's Southern Suburbs home yesterday (7 March 2023), allegedly finding child abuse material on several electronic devices.
The man, 46, was arrested and is scheduled to face Christies Beach Magistrates' Court today (8 March), charged with 11 child abuse-related offences. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
INTERPOL alerted the AFP's victim identification team in 2018 after identifying that the images the man allegedly posted were likely taken in Australia.
Further analysis by Queensland Police pinpointed a location in Adelaide linked to the alleged offending and referred the investigation to the SA JACET.
SA JACET and AFP Victim Identification investigators spent countless hours examining images that narrowed the focus of investigations to Adelaide's Southern Suburbs.
The major breakthrough occurred last week when investigators were able to apply a new state-of-the-art technology to pinpoint a location of interest that led to the identification of the alleged offender.
The man was arrested yesterday after investigators seized electronic devices from his Southern suburbs home.
The AFP specialist technology detection dogs assisted the search and sniffed out several of the devices located around the home. The devices allegedly contained hundreds of images of child abuse.
The electronic devices seized will be subject to further forensic examination.
AFP Sergeant Joe Barry said this case was initially subject to a global search by INTERPOL and international law enforcement agencies.
"Through enduring collaboration with our partner agencies, the alleged offender was found to be living in South Australia.
"The tenacity and determination of our highly-skilled investigators over a prolonged period of time led to this incredible breakthrough.
"We are relentless and will never stop our fight to bring offenders to justice and protect children, no matter how much time has passed or where they live.
"Today's arrest highlights the lengths to which our investigators will go to ensure offenders and brought to justice and victims are provided the support they require," he said.
The man was charged with:
- Eight counts of producing child pornography material for use through a carriage service, contrary to section 474.20(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth),
- One count of using a carriage service to publish child pornography material, contrary to section 474.19(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth),
- One count of persistent sexual exploitation of a child, contrary to section 50 of the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935 (SA); and
- One count of possessing or controlling child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for Commonwealth offences is 15 year's imprisonment and the maximum penalty for the State offence is life imprisonment.
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (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 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.
