20 June 2024, 7:08am
Media Release
Perth man charged with child abuse material offences
The Western Australian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) has charged a Perth man for allegedly possessing and accessing child abuse material.
The man, 21, is due to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court today (20 June, 2024).
Officers from the WA JACET, which comprises AFP and Western Australia Police Force members, arrested the man at his Wundong home last week (12 June, 2024) after he was identified by NSW Police as having accessed child abuse material.
Investigators executed a search warrant at the home and seized a number of mobile phones . Initial analysis of the devices allegedly found they contained child abuse material.
The man was charged with:
- One count of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22(1)A of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
- One count of accessing child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for each of the offences is 15 years' imprisonment.
AFP Detective Sergeant Karen Addiscott said the investigation highlighted how closely police around Australia worked together to combat the exploitation and abuse of children.
"Our common goal is to protect children, wherever they live, and to ensure anyone who tries to share these horrible images of harm and abuse is identified and brought before the courts," she said.
“The hardworking women and men of the AFP are on the frontline alongside the Western Australia Police Force to protect children online, and we are united in the fight to bring those who victimise children before the court.”
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. 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.
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 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 is online child sexual exploitation 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.
