VIC JACET charges Dromana man with child exploitation offences
A 67-year-old Victorian man will face court today (Friday 29 May, 2020) accused of possessing child abuse material.
The Victorian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (VIC JACET), comprising members from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Victoria Police (VICPOL), attended at a Dromana property on Thursday 28 May, 2020, arresting the accused and seizing an electronic device.
The VIC JACET launched its investigation after the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a series of reports from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and identified a man accessing child exploitation material.
It will be alleged in court the accused possessed child exploitation material on Thursday 28 May, 2020.
The man will face the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today, charged with:
- Possessing child abuse material obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Commander ACCCE and Child Protection Operations Jamie Strauss said “accessing and viewing child abuse material is not a victimless crime.
“Every image and every video is a child being horrifically abused and that abuse will stay with them for life. This material is repulsive and we will find those who support this industry and put them before the courts,” he said.
The 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.
Note to media:
USE OF TERM 'CHILD ABUSE' MATERIAL, 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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