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29 July 2020, 1:12pm
Media Release

Sydney man charged with possessing child abuse material

 

Editor’s note: Operational footage available on Hightail

A 71-year-old man from Bidwill, NSW will face court today (Wednesday 29 July) for allegedly possessing and sharing Child Abuse Material (CAM) following an investigation by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

The man came to notice as a result of a referral from Interpol MOSCOW relating to Australian users on a Peer to Peer (P2P) network suspected of sharing CAM. In response, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) commenced Operation SOUTIEN.

About 7:00am on Wednesday 8 July 2020, members of AFP Eastern Command Child Protections Operations executed a search warrant at a residence in Bidwill, NSW where the man was the sole occupant. Officers seized a laptop computer and two computer towers.

The man was arrested the same day and transported to Mount Druitt Police Station where he was charged with the following offences:

  • One x use carriage service to make available child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
  • Three x possess or control child abuse material, obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
  • Three x use carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
  • One x use carriage service to transmit, make available, publish, distribute, advertise or promote material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

The man was granted conditional bail and is due to appear for the first time at Mount Druitt Local Court today (Wednesday 29 July 2020).

Acting Commander for the ACCCE and Child Protection Operations, Christopher Woods, said this year the ACCCE has already received more than 11,000 reports about child abuse material online.

“You are not anonymous online and the AFP will not tire in our efforts to track down and prosecute offenders who continue to access and share this abhorrent content,” Acting Commander Woods said.

The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and is at the centre of a collaborative national approach to combatting organised child abuse.

The Centre brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into child sexual abuse and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.

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 at www.accce.gov.au/report.

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EDITORS NOTE: Media are reminded of their obligations under s15A of the Children (Criminal Proceedings) Act 1987 (NSW) and s105 of the Children and Young Person (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (NSW).

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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