A 69-year-old man will face Sydney Downing Centre Court today after being charged with possessing child abuse material.
The investigation into the man’s activities began after the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report about child abuse material being downloaded from a file sharing network.
Investigators linked a man in Wentworth Point to the file sharing network where the child abuse material was allegedly located.
Officers from the AFP Eastern Command Child Protection Operations and the Queensland Police Service executed a search warrant at the man’s home and seized electronic devices allegedly containing child abuse material.
The man was arrested and charged with one count of possessing or controlling child abuse material. The maximum penalty for this offence is 15 years’ imprisonment.
AFP Detective Acting Sergeant Clare Fitzpatrick said the arrest was another example of how prevalent online child abuse is and how easy it is to access.
“We need the community’s help to identify perpetrators and protect victims of child abuse both in Australia and around the world,” said Det A/Sgt Fitzpatrick.
“If you come across child abuse material online, whether it’s through a social media platform or a file sharing network, please report it to the ACCCE at https://www.accce.gov.au/report.”
