A West Australian man caught with child abuse material on his mobile phone during a roadside breath test has been sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment by the Perth District Court.
The man, 40, was sentenced yesterday (11 November, 2025) and ordered to serve seven months' imprisonment before being released on a recognisance order to be of good behaviour for 18 months.
He had pleaded guilty to two offences on 10 February, 2025, after the Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) - comprised of officers from the AFP and Western Australia Police Force (WAPF) - charged him in February 2023.
WAPF officers had stopped the man for a roadside breath test on 25 February, 2022, and found child abuse material on his mobile phone.
The WA JACET took on the matter, with a forensic examination of the man's phone locating images and videos of child abuse material in a social media messenger application.
When WA JACET investigators executed a search warrant at a Kingsley home in August, 2022, they found another mobile phone. The man refused to give officers the passcode to access the device.
The man pleaded guilty to:
- One count of possessing child abuse material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of failing to comply with an order under section 3LA(2) of the Crimes Act (Cth), contrary to section 3LA(6) of the Crimes Act (Cth).
AFP Acting Inspector Fleur Jennings said WA JACET investigators remained committed to protecting children and would prosecute anyone involved in their harm.
"Matters such as these send a clear message to those criminals; we will find you and place you 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 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.
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.
