A New South Wales man was sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment by the Downing Centre Local Court today (21 April, 2023) for sexually abusing children in the Philippines.
The man, 37, was arrested by AFP officers at his Chippendale home in July, 2021, after the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about a cloud storage user producing and uploading child abuse material online.
Investigators linked the man, who is also a New Zealand national, to the account and identified at least 13 children the man had abused in the Philippines between 2016 and 2019.
The man paid for a child sex facilitator in the Philippines to procure the children. He also self-produced child abuse material while in the Philippines.
The AFP arrested the man in July 2021, at his Chippendale home.
The man pleaded guilty to the following 27 offences in July, 2022:
- Once count of using a carriage service to possess child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- Nine counts of engaging in sexual intercourse with a child outside Australia, contrary to section 272.8(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- Fifteen counts of producing child pornography material outside Australia, contrary to section 273.6(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- One count of preparing to engage in sexual intercourse with a child outside Australia, contrary to section 272.20(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
- One count of attempting to engage in sexual intercourse with a child outside Australia, contrary to sections 11.1(1) and 272.8(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
He has been remanded in custody since July 2021 and was today sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 11 years.
AFP First Constable Aiden Lister said the AFP was committed to protecting children both abroad and in Australia.
"Trying to hide these abhorrent actions by travelling overseas will not stop us from locating offenders, seizing evidence and putting them before the courts," spokesperson said.
