Media Release
NT man charged with alleged online grooming and transmitting child abuse material
A Darwin man appeared in Darwin Local Court today (30 May, 2025) charged with alleged online child grooming and possessing and transmitting online child abuse material.
The Northern Territory Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team - comprising the AFP and Northern Territory Police - charged the man, 20, yesterday (29 May, 2025).
This followed an investigation that 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 in the Northern Territory uploading child abuse material to social media platforms.
AFP investigators allegedly linked the man to the illegal online activity.
A search warrant was executed at his McMinns Lagoon residence yesterday (29 May, 2025), with investigators allegedly finding child abuse material on electronic devices. Initial examination of a mobile phone allegedly identified several sexually explicit videos, including those involving a child.
Further forensic analysis of the devices is ongoing.
The man was charged with:
- One count of possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of transmitting child abuse material using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(ii) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of using a carriage service to groom persons under 16 years of age, contrary to section 474.27 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The maximum penalty for each of the offences is 15 years' imprisonment.
The man has been remanded in custody to will reappear in court on 22 July, 2025.
AFP Superintendent Greg Davis said the AFP and its law enforcement partners were committed to protecting our community's most vulnerable – our children.
“Our investigators work tirelessly to identify offenders and ensure anyone who tries to harm them is brought before the courts,” Supt Davis said.
NT Police Force Senior Sergeant Toby Wilson said the exploitation of children was a horrific crime.
“Individuals who produce, distribute and possess child abuse material fuel that harm, and those involved will be pursued relentlessly,” Sen-Sgt Wilson said.
“The Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team is committed to protecting children and holding offenders accountable.”
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the ACCCE is driving a collaborative national approach.
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. 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.
Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found at the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
For more information on the role of the ACCCE, what online child sexual exploitation is and how to report it, visit the ACCCE website.
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.
