A West Australian man has been summonsed to appear in Perth Magistrates Court today (18 July, 2025) on charges relating to allegedly soliciting sexually explicit images of children from overseas, while he was travelling in another foreign country.
The AFP summonsed the man, 39, for two charges after an investigation that started when Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at Perth Airport allegedly found suspicious messages on his mobile phone.
Using intelligence-led screening, ABF officers had selected the man for a baggage examination on 30 April, 2025, when he returned to Western Australia on a flight from overseas.
When ABF officers allegedly found messages showing the traveller attempting to procure child abuse material, they immediately notified the AFP.
AFP officers from the Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) attended the airport, seized the mobile phone and interviewed the man.
When the AFP examined the mobile phone, investigators allegedly found messages from the man in which he negotiated with adults for child abuse material and coerced children into sending him sexually explicit images of themselves. Police also allegedly found child abuse material stored on the mobile phone.
The man will be prosecuted for:
One count of solicited child abuse material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22 (1)(a)(iv) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
One count of caused child abuse material to be transmitted to himself using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The maximum penalty for each of the offences is 15 years' imprisonment.
AFP acting Inspector Scott Caulfield said the AFP worked closely with partners in Australia and across the world to protect children, wherever they lived.
"Through the AFP's International Command, investigators will work with foreign law enforcement partners to try to identify anyone allegedly attempting to engage in illicit digital conversations with children," a/Insp Caulfield said.
"Australian citizens should not think they are out of the reach of the AFP if they commit offences while they are overseas.
"Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators."
ABF Inspector Tim Sutton said this case was a clear example of how routine border screening by specially trained ABF officers was a critical tool in disrupting the spread of abhorrent material.
"Our officers are our first line of defence when it comes to stopping the trade and transmission of child abuse material growing in Australia," ABF Inspector Sutton said.
"The work we do at Australia's border makes our communities safer."
WA JACET comprises AFP and Western Australia Police Force members.
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 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.
