Media Release: Queensland man charged with child exploitation material offences
Release Date: Thursday, February 16 2012, 09:44 AM
A 36-year-old Queensland man is scheduled to appear in Maroochydore Court today (Thursday 16 February) charged with accessing and possessing child exploitation material.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers executed search warrants yesterday at the man’s place of work in Minyama and his place of residence in Eerwah Vale, acting on information received from INTERPOL.
A computer storage device, lap top and four thumb drives were seized during the warrants, with a number of alleged child exploitation files found on the computer.
The man was arrested and charged with:
- One count of using a carriage service to access child pornography, contrary to section 474.19 of the Criminal Code Act 1995. The maximum penalty for this offence is 15 years imprisonment.
- One count of possessing child exploitation material, contrary to section 228D Criminal Code 1899 (Qld). The maximum penalty for this offence is five years imprisonment.
The AFP is committed to combating the exploitation of children and takes the crimes of creating, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material very seriously.
Media enquiries
AFP National Media (02) 6131 6333
Note to media:
CHILD ABUSE IMAGES, NOT ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’
Use of the phrase ‘child pornography’ actually benefits child sex abusers:
- It indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser
- It conjures up images of children posing in ‘provocative’ positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse
Every photograph captures an actual situation where a child has been abused. This is not pornography.