A Lurnea man is expected to appear in Parramatta Local Court today (13 January, 2024) charged with child abuse offences after allegedly grooming someone in an attempt to engage with sexual activity with a child.
The man, 59, was stopped by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers yesterday (12 January, 2024) for a baggage examination after arriving in Sydney from the Philippines.
ABF officers examined the man’s mobile phone and allegedly found conversations discussing child abuse as well as child abuse material. The matter was referred to the AFP.
AFP officers interviewed the man and he allegedly admitted to engaging in the conversations.
The man was arrested and refused bail.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Nicole Kenny said the AFP, along with its law enforcement partners, remained committed to protecting children.
“Anyone who views this material is committing a crime,” D a/Superintendent Nicole Kenny.
“Our message to online offenders has not changed – if you procure, access and transmit child abuse material, you will be found, arrested and prosecuted.
“Whether the victim is in Australia or overseas – the AFP and its partners will work to keep our society’s most vulnerable – our children – safe from anyone who seeks to do them harm.
“This investigation remains ongoing and the AFP will work with international partners to help protect Australian children.”
ABF Acting Superintendent, Regional Investigations (NSW), Michael Mahony said ABF officers played a critical role at the border to protect the community, which included detecting and stopping the importation of illegal and abhorrent digital material featuring child victims both within Australia and abroad.
“We are dedicated to ensuring people seeking to deliberately import child abuse material into Australia are caught and will face the full consequences of their actions,” A/g Supt Mohony said.
“ABF will continue to work closely with the Australian Federal Police and other law enforcement agencies, both locally and overseas, to detect and disrupt individuals that seek to import child abuse material.”
The man was charged with:
- One count of “grooming” a person to make it easier to engage in sexual activity with a child outside Australia contrary to section 272.15A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- Two counts of using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iv) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The maximum penalty for 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 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.
