Victorian man jailed for multiple child abuse-related offences

A Victorian man has been sentenced to five years in prison, with a non-parole period of three years and three months, for live online child abuse-related offences.

The man, 52, was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday (October 1, 2024) after pleading guilty to four charges.

The Victorian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET), made up of the AFP and Victoria Police, charged the man in September 2021 after investigations revealed an individual was involved in the live-streamed sexual exploitation of two children in the Philippines .

The man was arrested in Ballarat on September 10, 2021 after investigators found child abuse material on his mobile phone. Police later searched his home in Portland, where they found child abuse material on electronic devices that were seized for further digital forensic analysis.

This case has been referred to Philippine authorities and the AFP will continue to assist in preventing harm to these and other children.

The man pleaded guilty to:

• One count of using a transportation service to procure the transmission of child abuse material, contrary to subsection 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
• One count of causing a child to engage in sexual activity in the presence of the defendant, contrary to subsection 272.9(2) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
• One count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to subsection 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); And
• One count of possession or control of child abuse material obtained through a transportation service, contrary to subsection 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

The judge said the man had exploited children in a third world country for his own sexual gratification.

AFP Inspector Bernard Geason said AFP officials were working closely with local and international law enforcement authorities to locate and assist children found in dangerous and harmful situations, and to identify child abusers seeking to exploit them.

“The AFP works closely with police around the world to combat the exploitation and abuse of children,” said Chief Inspector Geason.

“Our shared goal is to protect children wherever they live and ensure that anyone who tries to harm them is identified and brought to justice.”

The AFP and its partners are committed to ending child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Center to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is promoting a joint national approach to combating 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 aimed at creating a safer online environment.

Members of the public with information about people involved in child abuse are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know that abuse is currently taking place or that a child is in danger, call the police immediately on 000.

If you or someone you know is affected by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, there are support services available.

Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 found 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 education program 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, visit the ACCCE website.

Note to the media

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

The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was one of several 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 phrase “child pornography” is inaccurate and benefits child molesters because it:

• indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; And
• conjures up images of children posing in ‘provocative’ positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.

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