Media Release
WA man jailed for downloading more than 2500 child abuse videos from the dark web
A West Australian man who admitted downloading more than 2500 videos of children being sexually abused from the dark web has been sentenced to four years and five months’ imprisonment by the Perth District Court.
The man, 52, was sentenced yesterday (18 September, 2025) after pleading guilty to three offences. He will be eligible for parole in two years and four months.
An investigation began in June, 2024, when the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a referral from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States regarding a person accessing a dark web child exploitation site.
The matter was reported to the Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) – comprised of officers from the AFP and Western Australia Police Force – who linked the online activity to the WA man.
Police executed a search warrant in February this year at the man’s Mosman Park home, where they found videos depicting child abuse material on a laptop and hard drive.
The man pleaded guilty in June, 2025, to:
- Two counts of possessing child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22a(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(i)(a) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Detective Superintendent Murray Taylor said people who downloaded or accessed child abuse material could expect to be held to account for their criminal behaviour.
“If you engage in these horrific activities, you will be found and prosecuted,” Det Supt Taylor said.
“Children are some of the most vulnerable members of the community and should not be used as commodities for the gratification of sexual predators.
“The AFP, together with our state and territory law enforcement partners, remains committed to their protection.”
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse. The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is 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.
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.
