This is a joint release between Australian Federal Police and Western Australia Police Force
A man has been sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment by the Western Australia District Court for accessing, possessing and transmitting child abuse material.
The man, 41, was sentenced on 5 May, 2023, to five offences, after he was charged in August 2022 as a result of Operation Tamworth, a joint AFP and WA Police Force child protection investigation.
Police launched an investigation after receiving a report last year from the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) relating to more than 230 files containing child abuse material uploaded to the KIK platform.
The activity was linked to a Nollamara man and the WA Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team, which comprises AFP and WAPF officers, executed a search warrant at his home on 29 August (2022).
Investigators found child abuse material on an iPhone and Apple Mac laptop computer at the property.
The man pleaded guilty on 24 March, 2023, to five offences:
- One count of transmitting child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) (a)(iii) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- Two counts of accessing child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) (a)(i) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
- Two counts of possessing child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
The potential maximum penalty for each offence is 15 years’ imprisonment.
The man was sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of 15 months.
AFP Detective Sergeant Ross Hinscliff said the case showed how closely the AFP worked with local and international partners to identify and stop those involved in exploiting or abusing children.
“Viewing and sharing images or videos of children being abused fuels the demand for other criminals to physically harm and traumatise them,” Detective Sergeant Hinscliff said.
“Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators – law enforcement agencies are working tirelessly to protect children and bring to justice anyone involved in their harm.”
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation 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.
