A mental health appointment. Source: Pexels
A Moreton Bay man was sentenced to 12 years’ in jail on Thursday after he plead guilty to eight offences of child-abuse.
The man, 30, was arrested in April of 2021 by the Brisbane Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) following investigators finding damning material on his phone.
His phone contained child abuse material and records of sexually explicit messages.
The Australian Federal Police received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a United States organisation, regarding an Australian user who was using the platform Kik Messenger to upload child abuse material.
The man was later identified after the AFP began an investigation.
He was arrested at a shopping centre where his mobile phone was confiscated and later searched.
A second mobile phone was also found after a search warrant was executed at his home, where more child abuse material was found.
The investigation revealed the man was in contact with a United States woman who was allegedly abusing a child.
All International Network Information regarding the United States woman was provided to US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which resulted in a search warrant being executed in April 2021 in Florida, where the woman was arrested and the child taken into protection.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Kurt Wesche said the results of the investigation proved that the AFP International Networks is a vital operation regarding the protection of children.
“It takes a network to break a network, which is why these international partnerships are essential to our goal in stopping child exploitation and sexual abuse.” Detective Acting Superintendent Wesche said.
United States Homeland Security Investigations Regional Attaché Ernest Verina said HSI was committed to the partnership with Australia and greatly appreciated the outcomes of joint investigations in helping children in harmful situations.
“Law enforcement and the communities we serve need to all remain ever vigilant against online threats to those who are most vulnerable.” HIS Attaché Verina said.
The AFP has several programs dedicated to helping rescue children from harmful situations and prosecute perpetrators.
The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation is a program seeking a national approach to dealing with the issue.
The Moreton Bay man pleaded guilty in September 2022 in the Brisbane District Court to eight offences.
He was convicted on several counts of using online means to transmit child abuse material, one count of possessing child abuse material obtained online, one count of encouraging an aggravated offence of which caused sexual abuse of a child outside Australia by a trusted adult, and one count of making child exploitation material.
