Editor’s Note: Audio grabs from AFP Detective Sergeant Ross Hinscliff are available via hightail.
A Western Australia man has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in the Perth District Court for accessing and possessing child abuse material.
The investigation into this man’s activities began when the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an online user allegedly uploading child abuse material.
The WA Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) charged the man, after executing a search warrant at his Queens Park home on 28 July, 2022.
Officers seized a number of items including a mobile phone that contained child abuse material.
The man, 34, pleaded guilty to two child abuse offences at the Perth Magistrates Court on 16 November, 2022.
- One count of possession of child abuse material, obtained or accessed through a carriage service, contrary to section 422A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of accessed material, being child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 (1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The man was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of one year and two months on 27 April, 2023.
AFP Detective Sergeant Ross Hinscliff said one media file containing child abuse material was one too many.
“It is paramount the AFP continues to work closely with its law enforcement partners in Australia and offshore to identify alleged offenders and hold them accountable for their actions,” Det. Sgt. Hinscliff said.
“The AFP remains committed to targeting and identifying those who seek to harm children. We want to remind offenders that there are consequences for supporting this abhorrent industry, which includes imprisonment.”
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the 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 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.
For more information on the role of the ACCCE, what is online child sexual exploitation and how to report it visit www.accce.gov.au.
Note to media:
Use of term 'CHILD ABUSE' MATERIAL not ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’
The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.
Use of the phrase ‘child pornography’ is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:
- indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and
- conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.
Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.
Media enquiries:
AFP Media: (02) 5126 9297
Follow the ACCCE Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages to learn more about what the ACCCE does to keep children safe online.