Adelaide man jailed for child abuse material offences after FBI tip-off
A 38-year-old Adelaide man was sentenced to 12 months jail today (Friday, 15 November) after accessing and transmitting child abuse material.
The SA Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (SA JACET), comprising Australian Federal Police and South Australia Police officers, launched an investigation in June 2017 after a report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The FBI shared allegations about a person in Adelaide using an internet chat platform to discuss and share abhorrent images and videos of children.
The 38-year-old was charged in July 2017 with using a carriage service to access child pornography material, contrary to section 474.19(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth), after investigators searched his home in the suburb of Highbury.
Authorities later identified further alleged offending and he was charged with another three offences:
- one count of aggravated possession of child exploitation material, contrary to section 63A of the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935 (SA)
- one count of transmitting child pornography material, contrary to section 474.19(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth)
- one count of obtaining child pornography material, contrary to section 474.20 of the Criminal Code 1995 Cth
The man was sentenced in the Adelaide District Court today (Friday, 15 November) after earlier pleading guilty to the offences.
He was sentenced to a total of 12 months imprisonment, with a 12-month good behaviour bond upon release. The sentence was backdated to 18 January 2019 to reflect time spent in custody.
The man is eligible for release in January 2020.
Note to media: USE OF TERM 'CHILD ABUSE', NOT 'CHILD PORNOGRAPHY'
Use of the phrase "child pornography" 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 captures an actual situation where a child has been abused. This is not "pornography".
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