News Centre

This is a joint release between the Australian Federal Police and Western Australia Police Force

A West Australian man is due to appear in Perth Magistrates Court today (29 August, 2024) on charges of allegedly accessing, possessing and transmitting child abuse material.

The Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) arrested and charged the man, 56, yesterday (28 August, 2024) after investigating a referral from Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) about an online user having conversations about the sexual abuse of a child and accessing child abuse material.

Officers from the WA JACET, which comprises the AFP and Western Australia Police Force, allegedly linked the man to the illegal online activity and executed a search warrant at his Two Rocks home yesterday (28 August, 2024).

During the search, investigators allegedly found child abuse images and videos on an electronic device, as well as alleged evidence of child abuse material being transmitted via an encrypted communications application.

The electronic device was seized for further forensic examination.

AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Chwal said the AFP and its partners worked tirelessly to identify and prosecute anyone involved in the harm of children.

“The AFP’s partnerships with local, national and international law enforcement are critical to protecting children in our community,” Det-Supt. Chwal said.

“Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators.

“Our message to online offenders has not changed - if you procure, access and transmit child abuse material, you will be found, arrested and prosecuted.”

The man was charged with:

• 20 counts of transmitting child abuse material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
• Seven counts of accessing child abuse material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
• One count of possessing child abuse material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

The maximum penalty for each of the offences is 15 years' imprisonment.

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. 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.

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 the ThinkUKnow website, 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 the ACCCE website.

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.