A Victorian man has been sentenced to six years and six months’ imprisonment by the Melbourne County Court for producing, transmitting and accessing child abuse material.
The man, 67, from central Victoria, was sentenced last week (1 December, 2023) after earlier pleading guilty to five child abuse material offences.
The Victorian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (VIC JACET), comprising AFP and Victoria Police members, identified the man after investigating a report from the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an online user uploading child abuse material.
A search warrant was executed at the man’s home on 8 July, 2022, with investigators locating thousands of images and videos on his computer and USB showing a child being exploited and abused.
The man was subsequently arrested and charged.
AFP Senior Constable Cassandra Barlee said the AFP was committed to protecting children, wherever they lived, and identifying anyone involved in their exploitation and abuse.
“The AFP, with our local and international partners, is dedicated to fighting child sexual abuse and bringing those who commit these offences before the courts,” Senior Constable Barlee said.
“Victorian JACET members see the horrific trauma inflicted on children for the perverse pleasure of sex offenders and they work tirelessly to try protect them from the harm these offenders cause."
The man was charged with:
- Use carriage service to possess child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
- Use carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22A(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
- Use carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 (1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
- Produce child abuse material, contrary to section 571B(1) of the Victorian Crimes Act 1958; and
- Produce child abuse material to transmit using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
The man was ordered to serve four years and four months’ imprisonment before becoming eligible to apply for parole.
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 . 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 on the ACCCE website.
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.
