South Australian man jailed for possessing child abuse material
A 49-year-old South Australian man has been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for possessing child abuse material.
The Loxton man was arrested in February 2020 following a report from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a Yahoo user who was uploading dozens of files found to contain child abuse material.
Enquiries by the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and the South Australian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team identified the 49-year-old man as the user of the online account.
AFP investigators charged the man with possessing child abuse material, obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
In August 2020 the Loxton man pleaded guilty to the offence and was yesterday sentenced to 15 months imprisonment with a non-parole period of 5 months.
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.
You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button.
If you or someone you know are impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation there are support services available, visit the ACCCE to learn more.
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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