A West Australian man has been sentenced to seven years and nine months' imprisonment by the Perth District Court for accessing, possessing and transmitting child abuse material on a messaging platform.
The man, 28, was sentenced yesterday (3 June, 2025) and will serve a non-parole period of four years and eight months, after pleading guilty in July, 2024, to 12 charges.
The Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) - comprised of officers from the AFP and Western Australia Police Force - charged the man in December, 2023, following an investigation into a report from United States' authorities about an online user who uploaded child abuse material to a group chat on a messaging platform.
Police linked the man to the online activity and executed a search warrant at his Madora Bay home on 13 December, 2023, where they seized a mobile phone.
AFP forensic analysis of the device identified about 370 images and videos depicting young children being sexually abused. Investigators also found stored messages in which the man discussed the abuse of children.
WA JACET initially charged the man with five offences and later charged him with an additional seven offences. He pleaded guilty on 23 July, 2024, to:
- Seven counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- Three counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of aggravated using of a carriage to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.24A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Inspector Shona Davis said the AFP worked closely with law enforcement partners around the country and overseas to protect children from harm.
"Our message to anyone who accesses, views or shares this kind of abhorrent material is simple, the AFP and our partners are working tirelessly to identify you and prosecute you to the full extent of the law," Insp Davis said.
"Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators."
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 at www.accce.gov.au/report. 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 at www.accce.gov.au/support.
Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found at www.thinkuknow.org.au, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
