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_{A Central Coast man was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment at Gosford District Court yesterday (23 June, 2023) for child abuse-related offences.}

_{The man, 56, pleaded guilty in March 2023 to four offences relating to the access and possession of child abuse material, which the AFP found when they sorted through 10 terabytes worth of data on his computer, phone and other storage devices.}

_{The AFP arrested the man after an investigation that was launched in December 2021 when the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report about an Australian IP address accessing child abuse material.}

_{The AFP linked the IP address to the man’s home and this was where investigators seized the electronic devices.}

_{AFP Detective Superintendent Narelle Mitchell said the outcome was another reminder of the prevalence of online child sexual abuse in the Australian community.}

_{“The re-victimisation of child sexual abuse victims occurs every single time this abhorrent content is accessed and shared,” Supt Mitchell said.}

_{“The AFP and its partners will not rest until anyone involved in the harm of children is found and prosecuted.”}

_{The man was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of two years and six months.}

_{He was sentenced for two offences:}

• _{One count of possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth); and}
• _{One count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);}

_{The judge took the two other offences into consideration when determining the sentence:}

• _{One count of using a carriage service to access child pornography material, contrary to section 474.19(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).}
• _{One count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);}

_{The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the 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 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.}

Media enquiries:
_{AFP Media: (02) 5126 9297}

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_{Follow the ACCCE Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages to learn more about what the ACCCE does to keep children safe online.}