Media Release
South Australian man sentenced to 10 years’ jail for nine child abuse offences
Editor’s note: Images available via Hightail
An Adelaide man who paid about $60,000 to watch live on video as children overseas were sexually abused has been ordered to serve more than a decade behind bars.
The Elizabeth man, 67, was sentenced yesterday (26 May, 2025) by the District Court of South Australia to 10 years, one month and 25 days’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of five years and nine months.
The South Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET), comprising officers from the AFP and South Australian Police, started investigating the man’s activities after receiving information from AUSTRAC about international remittance payments to various beneficiaries over multiple years, which totalled more than $60,000.
In July, 2020, SA JACET members executed a search warrant at the man’s Elizabeth home and seized data storage devices containing child abuse material.
He was initially charged with accessing and possessing child abuse material. Further analysis of his laptop identified records of online communications between the man and people in the Philippines discussing the streaming of sexual abuse of children.
The man, who was initially on bail, was also remanded in custody during the investigation when proactive bail compliance checks identified numerous breaches.
In July, 2021, the man pleaded guilty to:
- One count of encouraging an offence against division 272 of the Criminal Code (Cth), namely sexual activity with a child outside Australia, contrary to section 272.19 of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of using a carriage service to access child pornography, contrary to section 474.19 of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The man was also later charged with the below offences, for which he was found guilty after a jury trial in February and March 2025:
- Two counts of encouraging an offence against division 272 of the Criminal Code (Cth), namely sexual activity with a child outside Australia, contrary to section 272.19 of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of using a carriage service to access child pornography, contrary to section 474.19 of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of using a carriage service to transmit indecent communication to a person under 16 years of age, contrary to section 474.27A of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The man’s sentence was backdated to September, 2021, when he was initially taken into custody.
AFP Sergeant Stephen Hegarty said the case was a reminder that offenders should not think they could hide behind their computers and stay anonymous because they were directing and watching abuse from a distance.
“The AFP and partners in Australia and around the world are committed to combatting this crime and bringing perpetrators to justice,” Sgt Hegarty said. “Everything you do online leaves a trace and we are working tirelessly to identify it.
“Our goal is to protect children wherever they live and ensure anyone trying to harm them is brought before the courts."
AUSTRAC National Coordinator Law Enforcement, Markus Erikson, said digital money trails unmasked child sexual abuse offenders, revealing not only who they were, but how they operated.
“Financial transactions are helping us piece together the full picture of offending and connect perpetrators across international borders,” Mr Erikson said.
“We must dismantle this vile trade and ensure that the system enabling profits becomes the tool that catches the offenders.”
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (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 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.
