17 January 2024, 1:53pm
Media Release
NSW man charged with allegedly soliciting child abuse material
This is a joint media release between the Australian Federal Police and New South Wales Police Force.
A Western NSW man will appear before Dubbo Local Court today (17 January, 2024) charged for allegedly soliciting child abuse material, following a joint investigation by the AFP and NSW Police Force.
Investigations began in February 2023 after financial intelligence indicated the man, 37, allegedly purchased child abuse material on the internet.
Further enquiries led to the man’s arrest on Monday, 20 November, 2023, with AFP officers seizing a mobile phone.
The man was charged with two counts of using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for the offence includes up to 15 years' imprisonment.
AFP Acting Detective Superintendent Nicole Kenny said procuring child abuse material was not a victimless crime and propped up the child abuse industry.
“These children are real people and are exploited for the grotesque gratification of predators,” Acting Det-Supt Kenny said.
“The AFP and its partners will not stop finding and prosecuting those who seek to harm the most vulnerable members of our community.”
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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