Perth man charged with child abuse offences
This is a joint media release between the Australian Federal Police and Western Australia Police Force.
A 32-year-old Morley man accused of using social media to have sexually explicit conversations with a young girl is expected to face court next Monday (11 November) after being charged by the Western Australia Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (WA-JACET).
On Friday (1 November 2019) WA-JACET charged the man with intent to expose a person under 16 years to indecent matter.
It will be alleged in court that between December 2010 and August 2014, the man used a social media platform to converse with a young girl, with some of the conversations of a sexual nature.
The maximum penalty for this offence is five years’ imprisonment.
The WA-JACET comprises officers from the Australian Federal Police and the WA Police Force.
The Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Teams across the country are Australia’s frontline in tackling, disrupting and prosecuting this insidious industry that causes significant harm to the most vulnerable in our community - our children.
Note to media: USE OF TERMS ‘CHILD ABUSE’ or ‘CHILD EXPLOITATION’, 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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AFP National Media: (02) 5126 9297
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