Media Release
WA man jailed for accessing and possessing child abuse videos and images
This is a joint release between the Australian Federal Police and Western Australia Police Force
Editor’s note: Images available via Hightail
A West Australian man has been sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment for accessing and possessing child abuse material, including a video containing the sexual abuse of an infant.
The Armadale man, 34, was sentenced in the Perth District Court today (30 May, 2025). He will be released on a recognizance order after 16 months’ imprisonment to be of good behaviour for 18 months.
An investigation began when the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the New Zealand authorities in April, 2021, about a user uploading child exploitation material online.
Under Operation Molto, AFP investigators linked the man to the illegal online activity.
Police executed a search warrant at his home in June, 2021, and found child abuse material on two mobile phones.
Forensic examination of the devices showed the man had accessed or possessed videos and images of children being sexually abused.
On 19 September, 2024, the man pleaded guilty in the Perth District Court to:
- Two counts of possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- Two counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Detective Superintendent Murray Taylor praised the commitment of the WA Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET), comprised of officers from the AFP and Western Australia Police Force, which pursued justice for the victims.
“The victims in these cases are the most vulnerable members of our community and deserve to be protected from predators,” Det Supt Taylor said.
“Investigators trawled through a significant amount of sickening material and relentlessly pursued this matter through the courts for almost four years.
“The AFP and its partners are committed to hunting down these criminals and will never rest until that job is completed.”
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse, with the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) driving a collaborative national approach.
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.
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.
