04 January 2024, 3:10pm
Media Release
Foreign national charged for allegedly possessing child abuse material
A German national has been charged with possessing child abuse material following a Northern Territory Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (NT JACET) investigation.
The man, 72, appeared in the Darwin Local Court today (4 January, 2024), where he was refused bail and remanded in custody until his next appearance on 19 March, 2024.
The NT JACET, comprising members from the AFP and Northern Territory Police, charged the man on 29 December, 2023 at Darwin International Airport where he was scheduled to board a flight to Timor-Leste.
The investigation began after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers examined the man's luggage including his laptop, mobile phone and two USBs, when he arrived in Darwin on a flight from Timor-Leste on 29 November 2023.
After issuing the man with an infringement notice for material found on a USB, ABF officers held his mobile phone and laptop for further examination and allegedly found 30 child abuse material images. The matter was then referred to the NT JACET for investigation.
The man has been charged with:
- Possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for the offence is 15 years' imprisonment.
AFP Superintendent Gregory Davis said the AFP, together with its state and territory law enforcement partners, remained committed to protecting children, no matter where they were in the world.
"We are working closely with our partners to ensure we are finding offenders and bringing them before the courts,'' Supt Davis said.
"Child exploitation is not a victimless crime. Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators."
ABF Chief Superintendent Tracie Griffin said ABF officers played a critical role at the border to protect the community, which included detecting the importation of child abuse material on electronic devices.
"We are dedicated to ensuring people seeking to import child abuse material into Australia are caught and will face the full consequences of their actions," Chief Superintendent Griffin said.
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. 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.
Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 revealed only about half of parents talked to their children about online safety. Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found on the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
For more information on the role of the ACCCE, what is online child sexual exploitation and how to report it visit the ACCCE website.
Note to media
Use of term CHILD ABUSE MATERIAL not CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.
Use of the phrase 'child pornography' is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:
- indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and
- conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.
Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.
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