South African man charged with online child abuse

This is a joint press release from the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Protection.

A South Australian man is expected to appear in court in Adelaide today (September 17, 2024) after being charged with allegedly accessing and possessing child abuse material.

The South Australian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (SA JACET), made up of members of the AFP and South Australia Police, charged the 32-year-old man in June (2024) after an investigation was launched following a report by the Australian Border Force (ABF).

During a separate investigation, ABF officers allegedly found child abuse material on several of the man’s electronic devices, including a laptop and a hard drive. The devices were seized and given to SA JACET for further investigation.

The SA JACET is said to have found numerous videos and images of sexually explicit child abuse material on the devices.

The Edinburgh man was charged with two counts of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or obtained by means of a conveyance service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

The maximum penalty for this offense is 15 years in prison.

The man first appeared in court in Elizabeth on August 14, 2024.

AFP Sergeant Joe Barry said the AFP will continue to work with its local, Commonwealth and international law enforcement partners to arrest offenders who pose a risk to children.

“This is not a victimless crime. Children are not commodities to be used for the horrible gratification of sexual predators,” Sgt Barry said.

“Our message to online offenders has not changed: if you obtain, access or send child abuse material, we will find you and you will be prosecuted.”

ABF Inspector Steve Garden said professionally trained border officers remain alert to travellers arriving in Australia and importing child pornography material.

“These materials have a profound and long-lasting impact on the lives of child victims and ABF officers are committed to identifying and prosecuting these serious criminal offences,” Inspector Garden said.

“Once we discover a crime, we work closely with our AFP partners to ensure thorough investigations are conducted and alleged offenders are brought to justice.”

The AFP and its partners are committed to ending child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) promotes a collaborative national approach to combating child abuse.

The ACCCE brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supports investigations into online child sexual exploitation and develops prevention strategies aimed at 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 of any current abuse or a child at risk, call the police immediately on 000.

If you or someone you know is experiencing child sexual abuse and online exploitation, there is support available.

Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 revealed that only around half of parents talked to their children about online safety. Advice and support for parents and carers on how to help protect children online can be found on the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led educational programme designed to prevent child sexual exploitation online.

For more information about the role of the ACCCE, what online child sexual exploitation is and how to report it, please visit the ACCCE website.

Note to the media

Use of the term ‘CHILD ABUSE’ MATERIAL and not ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’

The correct legal term is ‘child abuse material’. The move to this wording was one of a series of changes to Commonwealth law in 2019 to more accurately reflect the seriousness of the crimes and the harm caused to victims.

The use of the term “child pornography” is incorrect and benefits child abusers because it:

• indicates legitimacy and cooperation on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and
• conjures up images of children posing in ‘provocative’ poses, rather than being horribly abused.

Each photo or video captures an actual situation in which a child has been abused.