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A 49-year-old Moreton Bay man has been sentenced to four years in jail for producing and sharing child abuse material, following an Australian Federal Police (AFP) child protection investigation.

The investigation began in March 2018 after the Australian Federal Police-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about conduct engaged in by an identified user of Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe).

Northern Command’s Brisbane Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) investigators allegedly linked the Caboolture man to the Adobe user.

A search warrant was executed at the man's Caboolture home in September 2019, with investigators seizing 11 electronic devices which were found to contain child abuse material (CAM).

Further investigations resulted in the categorisation of over 85,000 child abuse images and videos located on these devices. Police alleged that the man was active on the dark net and used various child abuse forums to obtain a large collection of CAM.

Today (Thursday, 12 August 2021), at the Brisbane District Court, the man pleaded guilty to the following charges:

• Three counts using a carriage service to access child pornography material, contrary to section 474.19(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
• Two counts making child exploitation material, contrary to section 228B, Criminal Code 1899 (Qld); and
• One count knowingly possessing child exploitation material, contrary to section 228D, Criminal Code 1899 (Qld).

AFP Child Protection Operations Detective Superintendent Paula Hudson said investigators diligently hunt down all leads referred from international partners to protect children from abuse and bring offenders to justice.

“Our message to offenders accessing or exchanging child abuse material online is that we will never stop working to de-anonymise and tracking down anyone responsible for spreading this abhorrent material and bringing them before the court,” Detective Superintendent Hudson said.

The AFP-led ACCCE is committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and is at the centre of a collaborative national approach to combatting organised child abuse.

The Centre brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into child sexual abuse and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.

Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online.

If you or someone you know are impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation there are support services available.

Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protection children online can be found at ThinkUKnow, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.

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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