News Centre

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A Sunshine Coast man is expected to face Caloundra Magistrates Court today (2 July, 2026) charged with online child abuse offences including allegedly being involved in the live online abuse of children overseas.

The AFP will allege the man, 40, paid for and took part in live online sexual abuse of a child overseas and provided abuse instruction to an adult facilitator located in the Philippines with the child.

An investigation began in February, 2026, after the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) about an online user being involved in live online child sexual abuse.

Inquiries by the AFP’s Northern Command Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) allegedly linked the man, to the online account.  

Investigators executed a search warrant at a Caloundra home on 1 April, 2026, and seized multiple electronic devices.  

Forensic examinations of the seized devices are continuing.

The man was arrested and charged with:

• One count of using a carriage service for child abuse material, contrary to section 474.19(1)(iv) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 15 years’ imprisonment;
• One count of sexual activity with a child outside Australia, contrary to section 272.9(2) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 20 years’ imprisonment; and
• One count of sexual intercourse with a child outside Australia, contrary to section 272.8(2) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 20 years’ imprisonment.

AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said the AFP worked closely with local, national and international partners to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.

“The AFP is working tirelessly to keep children safe and ensure anyone who tries to harm them is identified, located and prosecuted,” Det-Supt Telfer said.    

“The AFP is now working closely with our partner agencies overseas to identify the child victims and facilitator and to ensure the child is removed from further harm.”

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.

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

*** For this specific matter, the man’s offending occurred when the legislation terminology was ‘child pornography’ which has since changed to ‘child abuse material’.

The current 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.