A 30 year-old Indonesian tourist has been arrested and charged after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers allegedly found child exploitation material on his mobile phone at Perth International Airport.
ABF officers stopped the man for a baggage examination as he was attempting to depart Perth on a flight to Denpasar yesterday (Sunday, 12 May 2019) following a 12 day visit.
During the examination of his mobile phone officers allegedly found three videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, and a further two videos depicting abhorrent sexual activity.
The man was arrested by ABF Investigators and charged with the following:
◦One count of attempting to Export a Prohibited Import being Tier 2 goods (Child Pornography) under s.233BAB(6) of the Customs Act 1901.
◦One count of attempting to Export Objectionable Goods under s.233(1)(c) of the Customs Act 1901.
He appeared in the Perth Magistrate’s Court today (Monday, 13 May 2019) and was released on conditional bail to reappear in the same court on 24 May 2019.
ABF Regional Commander for Western Australia, Rod O’Donnell, reminded all travellers that the possession of abhorrent material as defined by Australian law was prohibited when crossing the border, whether it be inbound or outbound.
“Tackling child exploitation in particular is an operational priority for the ABF as part of its role in protecting the border from individuals who may pose a threat to the community,” Commander O’Donnell said.
“ABF officers have significant powers to search the mobile phones and electronic devices of international travellers and they exercise those powers at airports around the country on a daily basis.
“Visitors also need to be aware that possession of child exploitation material is viewed very seriously under Australian law,” Commander O’Donnell said.
The maximum penalty for the import or export of child exploitation material is 10 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $525,000.
In a second, unrelated, case a 28 year old Brazilian man has been removed from Australia after ABF officers at Perth Airport discovered two videos containing abhorrent material on his mobile phone after he arrived on a flight from Denpasar on Saturday, 11 May 2019.
The videos depicted extreme violence in contravention of Regulation 4A of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956.
The man was detained at the Perth Immigration Detention Centre prior to his removal from Australia this morning (Monday, 13 May 2019).
