Brisbane man charged with child abuse material offences
A 50-year-old Brisbane man faced Brisbane Magistrates Court today (Friday, 6 August 2021) charged with child abuse material offences following an Australian Federal Police (AFP) operation.
The investigation began in early 2021 after the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the United States regarding child abuse material allegedly being accessed and transmitted via Google accounts.
AFP child protection investigators identified a Queensland man allegedly connected with this material. The AFP executed a search warrant at the man’s home in Wooloowin yesterday and seized three devices for further examination.
The man was taken to the Brisbane Watch House and denied bail to appear before the Brisbane Magistrates Court today, charged with; possessing child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, using a carriage service to access child abuse material and using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material.
The maximum penalty for these offences is 15 years' imprisonment.
He is next due to appear on 1 October, 2021.
AFP Child Protection Operations Detective Superintendent Paula Hudson said police will remain steadfast in investigating anyone who shares or accesses child abuse material.
“Sexual abuse has a devastating impact on children and their families and the spreading of this vile material continues the abuse of these children in another form,” Detective Superintendent Paula Hudson said.
“Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions, the AFP has not stopped operational activity to protect children. We have child protection teams across Australia continuing to investigate and execute search warrants.”
The AFP-led 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 or report online.
If you or someone you know are impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation there are support services available.
Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protection children online can be found at ThinkUKnow, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
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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