A Tasmanian man has been sentenced to five years and six months' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of two years, for a raft of child abuse-related offences.
The man, 57, was sentenced by the Hobart Supreme Court yesterday (6 August, 2025) for offences related to the production and possession of 13,496 files found to contain child abuse material.
The Tasmanian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) arrested the man in March 2022, after investigating a report from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Combat Child Exploitation (ACCCE) about a user uploading and accessing child abuse material.
Police linked the man to the illegal online activity and executed a search warrant in March 2022 at his Hobart home, where they found child abuse material and seized more than 100 electronic devices.
A secondary search warrant was executed in April 2022 at the man's home, where police located a digital camera. It was found this camera was used to capture 66 images of children without permission or knowledge of their parent/carers. These images were later assessed as being child abuse material.
The man pleaded guilty to:
Five counts of possessing child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
One count of using a carriage service for child pornography material, contrary to section 474.19(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
Two counts of using a carriage service for child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
One count of attempting to use a carriage service for child abuse material, contrary to sections 474.22(1) and 11(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
Two counts of producing child exploitation material, contrary to section 130A of the Criminal Code (Tas).
AFP Detective acting Sergeant Madeline Kennedy said anyone who produced or viewed images of children being sexually abused was committing a crime.
"Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators and the demand for videos and images depicting abuse contributes to the harm of innocent children," she said.
"To those thinking of obtaining this material, know that you are not above the law and you will be caught."
About the ACCCE:
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the 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.
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 the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
