Media Release
Tasmania man jailed for online child abuse and bestiality material offences
This is a joint release between the Australian Federal Police and Tasmania Police
A Tasmania man has been sentenced to eight years' and three months’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of four years, for offences relating to child abuse material and bestiality material.
Upon release, he will be placed on the Community Protection Register for a period of 15 years.
The man, 29, was sentenced by the Hobart Magistrates Court today/yesterday (1 July, 2025) for offences relating to possessing and accessing child abuse material and bestiality content. He was also sentenced for encouraging the exploitation of a child overseas.
The Tasmanian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) arrested the man in March, 2021, after investigating a report from the United States' National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an Australian user uploading and accessing child abuse material via an online photo sharing platform.
Police linked the man to the illegal online activity and executed a search warrant at his New Norfolk home on 16 March, 2021, where they found child abuse and bestiality material on multiple electronic devices.
Officers additionally identified chat logs which indicated the man had been encouraging a man overseas to sexually abuse a child.
The Tasmanian man pleaded guilty to:
- Five counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- Four counts of using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of encouraging an offence against Division 272 of the Criminal Code (Cth), namely the offence of sexual intercourse with child outside Australia, contrary to section 272.8 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); and
- One count of possessing bestiality product, contrary to section 74 of the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Enforcement Act 1995 (TAS).
AFP Detective Leading Senior Constable Dannii Campbell said anyone who viewed images and videos of children or animals being sexually abused was committing a crime.
"The AFP and its partners, across Australia and overseas, are committed to protecting children and prosecuting anyone involved in their harm," Det LSC Campbell said.
"Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators, and the demand for videos and images depicting abuse contributes to the physical harm and torture of innocent children."
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the 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.
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 on 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.
