A West Australian man has been sentenced to six years and 10 months' imprisonment for possessing, accessing and transmitting hundreds of images and videos depicting child abuse material.
The man, 57, was sentenced on Tuesday (10 June, 2025) in the Perth District Court after pleading guilty to five charges in December, 2024. He must serve a non-parole period of four years' imprisonment, backdated to 18 May, 2025.
The Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) charged the man in August 2024, after investigating a referral from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) involving an online user having conversations about the sexual abuse of a child and accessing child abuse material.
Officers from the WA JACET, which comprises the AFP and Western Australia Police Force, linked the man to the illegal online activity and executed a search warrant at his Two Rocks home on 28 August, 2024.
During the search warrant, officers seized a tablet device and forensic examination by the AFP identified 317 images and 40 videos depicting child abuse material, as well as evidence of material being transmitted via an encrypted communications platform. Police also found records of online conversations where the man discussed sexually abusing children.
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);
- One count 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 transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- Two counts of committing an aggravated offence against section 474.22(1)(a) on three or more separate occasions and commission of each offence involved two or more people, contrary to section 474.24A of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Inspector Shona Davis said offenders might think using encrypted communications platforms could enable them to access and share child abuse material anonymously, but they always left a trace and the AFP and its partners were committed to identifying and stopping them.
"This outcome shows that if you engage in this sort of behaviour, it will not go undetected," Insp Davis said.
"The AFP is working tirelessly to protect children and stop anyone involved in their exploitation or abuse."
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse, with the ACCCE 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.
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.
