A Queensland man has been sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to 33 child exploitation offences, including grooming children, procuring children, transmitting child abuse material and possessing child abuse material.
The Brisbane District Court yesterday (5 August, 2026) ordered the man, 59, serve a non-parole period of six years.
Operation Lelantos-Alpha, an AFP-led Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) investigation, began after investigators received information alleging the man had facilitated child exploitation offending through a dark-web online chat group.
The court found he had also communicated with child members of the group, which encompassed two adult offenders and more than 40 children - including under 10s - within Australia and overseas.
In January 2023, AFP JACET investigators executed a search warrant at the man's Caboolture home and located a sophisticated network of computers, virtual machines and servers.
Forensic examination revealed the man had created, maintained, administered and hosted the dark-web forum through an overseas server.
Investigators also uncovered thousands of child abuse files, two electronic books authored for child sex offenders, including material that provided guidance on obtaining and covertly retaining possession of children.
The man pleaded guilty to:
- Nine counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- Five counts of using a carriage service to groom another person to make it easier to procure a person under 16 years of age, contrary to section 474.27(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- Six counts of using a carriage service to cause child abuse material to be transmitted to himself, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(ii) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- Three counts of using a carriage service to send indecent communications to a person under 16 years of age, contrary to section 474.27A of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- Five counts of using a carriage service to procure a person under 16 years of age, contrary to section 474.26(2) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- Three counts of conduct for the purpose of an electronic service, contrary to section 474.23A of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iv) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of possessing or controlling child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said the AFP remained committed to protecting children from online exploitation.
"Children deserve to be safe online and those who seek to groom, exploit or abuse them will be relentlessly pursued by law enforcement," Det Supt Telfer said.
"The AFP will continue working with domestic and international partners to identify offenders, protect children and bring those responsible before the courts."
A second male offender associated with facilitating the online forum was sentenced in Melbourne in March 2026.
