News Centre

This is a joint media release between the Australian Federal Police and WA Police Force

A Camilo man has been sentenced to eight years and six months’ imprisonment after he used an encrypted application to share videos and images of infants and children being sexually abused.

The man, 28, was sentenced in the District Court of Western Australia on Monday 11 March 2024, after he was found guilty of 26 charges relating to possessing and transmitting child abuse material (CAM) online.

The investigation began after the AFP Child Protection Triage Unit (AFP CPTU) received information from Interpol Manchester about an online user in Australia sharing CAM to a Registered Sex Offender (RSO) in the United Kingdom in 2021.

The Western Australian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET), comprising of the AFP and WA Police Force, executed a search warrant at the man’s Camilo home in March 2021, and seized a number of electronic devices for forensic examination.

Police found 1108 images and 57 videos of CAM on his mobile phone, as well as evidence that he had exchanged CAM with other people via encrypted messaging apps.

The man was subsequently arrested and charged.

He was found guilty by a jury in August, 2023. He was convicted over the following offences:

• 22 counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material section, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
• Two counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);
• One count of possessing child abuse material accessed using a carriage service Section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth); and
• One count of using a carriage service to transmit indecent communication to a person under 16 years of age, contrary to section 474.27A of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

He was sentenced yesterday to eight years and six months’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of five years and eight months.

AFP Detective Inspector Andrea Coleman said the AFP was committed to identifying, targeting and prosecuting all offenders who abused and exploited children.

“The AFP, along with our law enforcement partners, is dedicated to fighting child sexual abuse and bringing those who commit these offences before the court,” Det-Insp Coleman said.

“Our common goal is to protect children, wherever they live, and to ensure anyone who tries to harm them is identified and brought before the courts.

“This sentencing outcome should serve as yet another serious warning that law enforcement has zero tolerance for child exploitation and child sexual abuse in any form.

“We will continue to work closely with our international partnerships and AFP members offshore, to combat international organised child abuse and apprehend these vile offenders, wherever they may be.”

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 at ThinkUKnow, 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.