Media Release
WA man charged for alleged possession of child abuse material
This is a joint release between the Australian Federal Police and Western Australia Police Force
A West Australian man is scheduled to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court today (26 September, 2025) charged with allegedly possessing videos and images depicting child abuse material.
The Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) – comprising investigators from the AFP and WA Police Force – charged the man, 53, in August, 2025.
An investigation began when the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in May, 2025, regarding a user uploading child abuse material online via a search engine.
AFP investigators allegedly linked the man to the account and executed a search warrant at his Mount Nasura home on 31 July, 2025, seizing two mobile phones, a tablet and WiFi router.
The man allegedly refused to give investigators the passwords to access the mobile phones and tablet when request, and was charged with two counts of failure to comply with an order under section 3LA(2) of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth), contrary to section 3LA(6) of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth).
The maximum sentence for this offence is 10 years’ imprisonment.
On 5 August, 2025, the man granted investigators access to the mobile phones and tablet, which were allegedly found to contain videos and images which depicted child abuse material.
The man was further charged with two counts of possessing child abuse material, obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The maximum penalty for this offence is 15 years’ imprisonment.
AFP Detective Superintendent Murray Taylor said every action online was traceable and the AFP and its partners remained fiercely committed to the protection of children from online harm.
“The victims involved in these abhorrent incidents are left with lifelong trauma,” Det Supt Taylor said.
“If you participate in any facet of the exploitation of children for your own gratification, you should expect a knock on the door from WA JACET investigators.”
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.
Notes 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.
