A Queensland man is expected to face Blackwater Magistrates Court today (2 December, 2025) on child exploitation charges, including one count of grooming a person to make it easier to engage in sexual activity with a child outside Australia.
The man, 46, was arrested at a residence in Blackwater, QLD, on 20 August, 2025, before being granted watchhouse bail to appear before court today.
Australian Border Force officers searched the man after he arrived at Brisbane Airport on a flight from Manila, Philippines, in December 2024.
It will be alleged that analysis of his phone revealed he had been grooming a woman in the Philippines via a phone messaging app to procure her two daughters, aged 12 and 16, to engage in sexual activity with him.
He also allegedly made numerous demands to solicit child abuse material from the woman, who refused to send him images.
On 20 August, 2025, members of the Northern Command Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (NC JACET) executed a search warrant in Blackwater, QLD.
The man has been charged with:
One count of grooming person to make it easier to engage in sexual activity with a child outside Australia, contrary to section 272.15A of the Criminal Code (Cth);
One count of soliciting child abuse material via a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iv) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
One count of possession of child abuse material accessed via a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth).
These offences each carry a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment.
JACET investigators remain resolute in their pursuit of child sex offenders and continue to engage with international law enforcement partners to support efforts aimed at identifying this and other victims of online child exploitation.
AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said the AFP was committed to targeting criminal activity and protecting children wherever they lived.
"Crimes that prey on the innocence of children fall on the more heinous end of the scale, which is why the AFP and our domestic and international partners work tirelessly to target and apprehend individuals who engage in illegal conduct with minors," Supt Telfer said.
"Even if a person is attempting to commit alleged criminal acts overseas, the AFP has the skills and abilities to identify them and put them before the courts."
ABF Superintendent John Ikin said the Australian Border Force and its partners would relentlessly pursue predators who sought to exploit the most vulnerable members of our society.
"Australian Border Force officers will use every tool at our disposal - from device examinations at the border to intelligence -driven operations - to detect, disrupt and bring to justice those who traffic child abuse material," Supt Ikin said.
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. 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.
Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found at the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
