A man was sentenced (Tuesday 6 December) at the Hobart Magistrates Court to four years in jail on 26 charges relating to child abuse material.
The Tasmanian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (JACET) – comprising AFP and Tasmania Police members – charged the man, 30, with producing, distributing, possessing and accessing child abuse material in May 2017.
The Tasmanian JACET executed search warrants at the man’s home following reports to the AFP Child Protection Assessment Team via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States.
The man pled guilty to the following offences:
- Production of child exploitation material contrary to Section 130A Criminal Code;
- Distribution of child exploitation material contrary to Section 130B Criminal Code;
- Possession of child exploitation material contrary to Section 130C Criminal Code; and
- Accessing child exploitation material contrary to Section 130D Criminal Code.
He was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of three years and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
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 and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.accce.gov.au/report. If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.
Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 revealed only about half of parents talked to their children about online safety.
An award-winning podcast launched last year by the ACCCE ‘Closing The Net’ is working to change that, showcasing that knowledge is power and that our only chance to help prevent this issue is if we bring a ‘whole-of-community’ response.
The podcast series offers valuable tips and advice on how to keep kids safe online. Listen to the Closing The Net podcast on your favourite streaming platform.
If you or someone you know are impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation there are support services available at www.accce.gov.au/support.
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.
