Queensland man jailed for child abuse related offences
An Ipswich man has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for online child abuse offences and trying to hire minors as nude cleaners.
The man, 49, was sentenced on Tuesday, 27 February 2024 by the Ipswich District Court after pleading guilty to 11 charges.
The Queensland Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) charged the man in March 2022 after investigating a report from the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an Australian transmitting and receiving child abuse material.
During the investigation the AFP received further reports from the United States’ Department of Homeland Security regarding a man exchanging child abuse material and discussing child abuse online.
A member of the public also reported the man’s attempts to hire children to clean his house while naked.
Queensland JACET executed a search warrant at his Bundamba home in February 2022 and seized a mobile phone.
Analysis of the phone showed it contained child abuse material and subsequent inquiries found the man had attempted to meet a boy for sexual activity.
The man was charged with:
- Using a carriage service to access child pornography material, contrary to section 474.19 (1)(i)(a) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
- Using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
- Three counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 (1)(i)(a) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
- Two counts of possessing, or control of, child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
- Soliciting child abuse material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iv) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
- Two counts of using a carriage service to transmit indecent communication with a person under 16, with the intention to procure the person for sexual activity with self and another, contrary to section 474.26(2) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth); and
- Using a carriage service to transmit indecent communication to a person under 16, contrary to section 474.27A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The man was ordered to serve a non-parole period of 18 months.
AFP Commander John Tanti said police, technology companies and members of the public had all played a part in bringing the man to justice to ensure the safety of the community.
“It shows that if you engage in this sort of behaviour it will not go undetected and the AFP and partners across the world will act on the information they receive to protect children and stop anyone involved in their exploitation or abuse,” Commander Tanti 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.