A West Australian man was sentenced yesterday (7 May, 2026) to twenty-two months' imprisonment for possessing and transmitting child abuse material.
The Perth District Court ordered the man, 27, serve a non-parole period of five months before being eligible for release on a 12-month good behaviour recognisance order.
The AFP began an investigation in March 2025, after Interpol UK reported a user sharing child abuse material on a free messaging application.
AFP investigators linked several social media accounts to the man, who posed as a young female in conversations.
The man was charged on 24 June, 2025, after police executed a search warrant at his home and located a phone. A forensic examination of the device identified images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
The Halls Head man pleaded guilty to:
- One count of possession or control of child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- Two counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of using a carriage service to cause child abuse material to be transmitted to himself, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(ii) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- Eleven counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
Quotes attributable to AFP Detective Acting Inspector Josh Gilmour:
"Children are not commodities to be used for the gratification of sexual predators.
"Our message to online offenders remains unchanged - if you procure, access and transmit child abuse material, you will be found, arrested and prosecuted."
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the AFP-led 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.
