A Tasmanian man was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment in Hobart Supreme Court yesterday (15 August, 2023) for possessing more than 22,000 child abuse files.
Police identified the man following a report from the United States' National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an Australian-based user uploading child abuse material online.
The Tasmania Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (comprising AFP and Tasmania Police) began an investigation which linked the man, 37, to the illegal online activity.
A search warrant was executed at the man's Huonville home on 17 October, 2019, with investigators finding child abuse material on electronic devices. Further forensic examination of the devices led to the identification of more than two million files comprising of at least 22,000 files of child abuse material.
AFP Detective Sergeant Aaron Hardcastle said the investigation highlighted how closely police around Australia worked together to combat the exploitation and abuse of children.
"Anyone who views this material is committing a crime,'' Det-Sgt Hardcastle 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.
"This is not a victimless crime. Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators.
"The officers involved in this investigation worked tirelessly to protect children and bring perpetrators before the courts."
The man was found guilty of:
- Possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
- Using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth); and
- Possessing child exploitation material, contrary to section 130C of the Criminal Code Act 1924 (Tas).
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.
