Newcastle man jailed for child abuse offences
A Newcastle man has been sentenced to eight years and nine months’ imprisonment in the Downing Centre Local court for a raft of child abuse offences.
The man, 26, was identified following a report from the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about a user uploading child abuse material online.
The AFP executed a search warrant at the man’s Shortland home in September 2021, seizing three mobile devices which were found to contain child abuse material. The man was arrested, charged and remanded into custody.
Members of the New South Wales Police Force laid additional charges against the man in early 2022 in relation to offences against two children identified during ongoing enquiries.
The man pled guilty to the following offences:
- Two counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- Three counts of using a child under 14 years for production of child abuse material, contrary to section 91G(1)(a) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW).
- One count of possessing child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
He was sentenced on 18 September 2023 to a total of eight years and nine months in prison, with a non-parole period of five years and four months.
Detective Acting Inspector Nicole Kenny said the AFP has a commitment to investigate and charge offenders believed to be involved in the production, viewing and distribution of child abuse material.
“Law enforcement throughout Australia is dedicated to fighting child sexual abuse and bringing those who commit these offences to account,” Det-A/Insp Kenny said.
“Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators, and our investigators will continue to be unwavering in their pursuit of anyone sharing, accessing or producing child abuse material. Anyone who views this material has committed a crime.”
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation 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 at www.accce.gov.au/report. 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 at www.accce.gov.au/support.
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 at www.thinkuknow.org.au, 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 www.accce.gov.au.
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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