A Townsville man is expected to appear before Townsville Magistrates Court today (15 December, 2025) after he was intercepted at an airport before his planned departure to the Philippines for alleged sexual activity with a child.
Investigations into the Toomulla man, 61, began on 3 September, 2025, when the US agency of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) referred the man to the Northern Command Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (NC JACET).
On 13 November, 2025, NC JACET and the AFP Technology Detection Dog team, with assistance from Queensland Police Service's Public Safety Response Team (PSRT), executed a search warrant at an address in Toomulla.
The home was empty, however NC JACET and PSRT members subsequently travelled to Townsville Airport and located the man before he boarded a flight to the Philippines via Brisbane.
He accompanied police to the Toomulla property where a mobile phone was seized.
Forensic examination of the mobile phone uncovered messages between the man and a woman in the Philippines allegedly organising her daughter, 16, to engage in sexual intercourse, and for another daughter, 6, to engage in sexual activity.
The man was charged with one count of procuring a child to engage in sexual activity outside Australia, contrary to section 272.14 of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 15 years' imprisonment.
He was arrested and released with strict conditional bail to appear before Townsville Magistrates Court today.
A referral was also made to the Philippines National Police.
AFP Detective Inspector Steven Wiggins said the collaboration between international law enforcement was critical to locating people who sought to engage in illegal activity offshore.
"The cooperation between the AFP, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), and the HSI is key to catching alleged perpetrators," Det-Insp Wiggins said.
"All online activities are traceable, regardless of where in the world they take place.
"Anyone engaging in the exploitation or abuse of children should expect to be found and put before the courts."
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.
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.
