Media Release
Western Sydney man charged with online child abuse material offences after US tip-off
Editor’s Note: arrest vision is available via Hightail
A western Sydney man is expected to appear in Penrith Local Court today (14 March, 2025) charged with online child abuse material offences.
The AFP’s Child Protection Operations team charged the man, 47, yesterday (13 March, 2025) at his Cranebrook home.
The AFP allegedly identified the man following a report from the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about a user uploading child abuse material online.
A search warrant was executed at the man’s home yesterday (13 March, 2025), with investigators allegedly locating child abuse material on a mobile phone and laptop. The electronic devices will be subject to further forensic examination.
The man was charged with:
- Two counts of possessing child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The maximum penalty for each offence is 15 years' imprisonment.
The man was refused bail to appear at Penrith Local Court today (14 March, 2025).
AFP Detective Acting Inspector Emmanuel Tsardoulias said the AFP worked closely with both domestic and international partners to help protect children.
“The shared goal of law enforcement is to protect children, wherever they live, and to ensure anyone who tries to harm them is identified and brought before the courts,” Det a/Insp Tsardoulias said.
"Our message to offenders has not changed. If you procure, access or transmit child abuse material, you will be found, arrested and prosecuted.”
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 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 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.
