A Revesby man is expected to appear in Bankstown Local Court today (14 December, 2023) charged with three counts of transmitting child abuse material, and the possession of cocaine and cash suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
AFP Eastern Command Child Protection Operations team members charged the 54-year-old man yesterday (13 December, 2023) following a search warrant at his home, where officers seized approximately $180,000 in cash and 28g of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $11,200.
Police will allege the man was identified as potentially being in possession of or sharing child abuse material, and electronic devices seized during the search warrant will be subject to further examination.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Jeremy Staunton said the investigation highlighted how seriously the AFP considered allegations about the exploitation and abuse of children.
"Anyone who views or transmits this material is committing a crime,'' Det. a/Supt Staunton said.
"Our message to online offenders has not changed - If you procure, access and transmit child abuse material, you will be found, arrested and prosecuted"
The 54-year-old man was charged with:
- Three counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 (1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of dealing with property reasonably suspected of being proceeds of crime, contrary to section 400.9(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of possessing a prohibited drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 10 (1) of the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW).
The maximum penalty for the offences is 15 years', five years' and two years' imprisonment respectively.
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation 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.
