News Centre

A Sydney man who administered an online chat group that shared child abuse material and encouraged one of the group members to sexually abuse a child was yesterday (13 October, 2023) sentenced by the Newcastle Local Court to 2 years 3 months’ imprisonment.

The Metford man was identified as part of Operation Arkstone, an AFP-led, large-scale child protection operation.

AFP investigators executed a search warrant at the man’s home on 9 March, 2021, where he was arrested and his mobile phone was seized.

An earlier arrest of a New Lambton Heights man revealed he had been in contact with the Metford man and was sharing explicit images in a group chat with him and others. Further details about that arrest can be found here.

The Metford man, 47, pleaded guilty to the following charges:

• One count of aggravated offence of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material on 3 or more separate occasions involving 2 or more people, contrary to section 474.24A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth)
• One count of intentionally inciting someone to sexually touching a child under 10, contrary to section 66DA(a) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW); and
• One count of using a carriage service to offend, contrary to section 474.17(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

He was sentenced to 2 years 3 months’ imprisonment, to be released forthwith on a two-year good behaviour bond.

Detective Senior Constable Joanna Kolodziej said sexual abuse has a devastating and lifelong impact on the child victims and their families.

“It is heartbreaking to think of any child being sexually abused or exploited to satisfy an adult’s criminal impulses, but it strengthens our resolve to hunt down perpetrators and bring them to justice,” Det Snr-Constable Kolodziej said.

“People who prey on vulnerable children will be caught and put before the courts.”

Operation Arkstone was launched in February 2020 after investigators from the AFP's Eastern Command Child Protection Operations arrested a Central Coast man, 30, for child abuse offences. The arrest followed a referral to the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) from the United States' National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The digital trail from the first arrest in February 2020 has to date identified 55 Australian child victims, who have been removed from harm. Twenty-one Australian alleged offenders have been charged with 1301 offences.

Investigations into this network of child abuse are continuing.

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:

Media are reminded of their obligations to protect the identity of child victims and victims of sexual assault under s15A of the Children (Criminal Proceedings) Act 1987 (NSW) and s105 of the Children and Young Person (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (NSW).

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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