Tasmanian man facing almost 80 child exploitation offences
A 35 year old Tasmanian man will face the Burnie Magistrates’ Court today (Wednesday December 4th, 2019) facing new child exploitation charges, reaching a total of 79 offences.
The Tasmanian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (TASJACET) this week charged the man with new offences in relation the sexual abuse and sexual intercourse with a child outside of Australia.
The man is also facing a string of charges relating to possessing and transmitting child exploitation material, along with allegedly procuring children to engage in sexual activity outside of Australia.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) allege the accused used social media to communicate and solicit children under the age of 16 between March 2016 and February 2018.
The accused had been remanded in custody after failing to attend court last month.
The man has been charged with the following offences:
- Engaging in sexual intercourse with a child outside of Australia in breach of Section 272.8 (1), Criminal Code (Cth)
- Persistent sexual abuse of a child outside of Australia in breach of Section 272.11(1), Criminal Code (Cth)
- Cause child pornography material to be transmitted in breach of Section 474.19(1)(a)(ii), Criminal Code (Cth)
- Use carriage service to transmit child pornography material in breach of Section 474.19(1)(a)(ii), Criminal Code (Cth)
- Use carriage service to solicit child pornography material in breach of Section 474.19(1)(a)(iv), Criminal Code (Cth)
- Use carriage service to transmit child abuse material in breach of Section 474.22, Criminal Code (Cth)
- Use carriage service to transmit indecent communication to person under 16 years of age in breach of 474.27A, Criminal Code (Cth)
- Procuring child to engage in sexual activity outside Australia in breach of Section 272.14, Criminal Code (Cth)
- Encourage offence of engage in sexual intercourse with child in breach of Section 272.19, Criminal Code (Cth)
- Preparing for or planning offence of engage in sexual intercourse with child in breach of Section 272.20, Criminal Code (Cth)
The maximum penalty for these offences includes up to 25 years imprisonment.
AFP Detective Sergeant Aaron Hardcastle said the arrest was the first major collaboration between TASPOL and AFP since the JACET model was stood up in early November, highlighting the importance of collaboration between Australian and international law enforcement agencies in a bid to tackle the exploitation of children online.
“We know in order to successfully identify, investigate and prosecute child sex offenders, that we must work together with our state and international law enforcement partners” he said.
“The abhorrent crimes of this nature have no boundaries and the AFP will not waiver in its commitment to hunting down the online offenders targeting and seeking to abuse children.”
Tasmania’s efforts to combat the sexual exploitation of children across the state has been bolstered, thanks to the official launch of the AFP and Tasmania Police’s TASJACET in Hobart earlier this year (4 November 2019).
The AFP and Tasmania Police (TASPOL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise the new agreement, signifying a boost in resources to help identify, target and prosecute predators. This is one of the very first applications of charges under the formalised TASJACET arrangement.
If you have any information relating to child abuse or exploitation, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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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