Internet policing investigation leads to child pornography charges in Victoria

A 44-year-old Glenroy man will appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court this morning after being charged by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) with child pornography offences yesterday.

Following a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) referral, the AFP began this investigation in March when the AFP Internet Policing Team conducted a covert investigation and met the man online.

The AFP will allege that the man transmitted child abuse images and provided access to additional images on his computer to a covert online investigator throughout the investigation.

The man arranged to meet the covert online investigator in Albert Park yesterday afternoon where he was arrested by the AFP Child Protection Operations Team.

The AFP executed a search warrant on the man’s residential addresses yesterday. Three computer towers and hard drives were seized and are currently undergoing forensic examination.

The man was charged with using a carriage service to transmit child pornography material contrary to section 474.19(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code Act 1995, using a carriage service to access child pornography material contrary to section 474.19(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code Act 1995, using a carriage service to make available child pornography material contrary to section 474.19(1)(a)(iv) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 and possession of child pornography material contrary to section 70(1) of the Crimes Act (Vic) 1958.

The maximum penalty for these offences is 10 years imprisonment.