Sydney man jailed for possessing child abuse material
A Sydney man, 29, has received a three year term of imprisonment by the Parramatta District Court (24 February 2023) for possessing child abuse material and uploading it online.
He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, to be released immediately on a recognisance order to serve this time on good behaviour.
Between August 2017 and October 2020, the AFP received eight reports from the United States’ National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about a user uploading child abuse material to Google, Dropbox and Facebook.
Investigators from the Eastern Command Child Protection Operations team linked the man to the account and arrested him at his Glenfield home in October 2021.
During the search warrant, officers seized electronic devices including a USB, computer tower and a mobile phone, which were found to allegedly contain child abuse material.
The man was charged with:
- Possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
- Accessing child abuse material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, to be released immediately on a recognisance order to be of good behaviour for three years.
AFP Constable Rachel Lokugamage said the investigation demonstrated the AFP's commitment to investigate and charge offenders believed to be involved in child exploitation.
“Law enforcement is dedicated to fighting child sexual abuse and bringing those who commit these offences before the court, but we also need help from parents and carers to keep children safe,” Constable Lokugamage said.
“Please talk to children about what platforms, apps and games they are using and remind them never to reveal personal information to any friends they met online.
"Supervision is not only critical to helping prevent an incident happening but can also help adults to quickly take action if they need to alert law enforcement.”
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 at www.accce.gov.au/report. 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 at www.accce.gov.au/support.
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 www.thinkuknow.org.au, 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 www.accce.gov.au.
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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