Media Release
WA man jailed for possessing thousands of videos of child abuse material
This is a joint release between the Australian Federal Police and Western Australia Police Force
A man has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment after police found almost 6000 videos depicting child abuse on his mobile phone.
The man, 24, was sentenced in Bunbury District Court on Tuesday (28 January, 2025) after pleading guilty to one count of possessing child abuse material, and must serve a non-parole period of two years' imprisonment.
The Western Australian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) executed a search warrant at the man's home in WA's South-West region in December, 2023, after investigating a report from NSW Police about people sharing child abuse material online.
During the search, WA JACET officers located and seized a mobile phone, which contained the illegal material.
The man was charged with:
- One count of possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Detective Inspector Andrea Coleman said the AFP would continue to work closely with its state and territory law enforcement partners to ensure the community's most vulnerable – children – were protected.
"Anyone who views this material is committing a crime and our message to these offenders has not changed,'' Det-Insp Coleman said.
"If you procure, access or transmit child abuse material, you will be located, arrested and prosecuted.
"Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators."
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 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.
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.
