SA man receives 23 years in prison for online material on child abuse

A South Australian man was sentenced to 23 years in prison today (3 June 2024) for soliciting sexually explicit material from ten foreign children via social media platforms.

The 42-year-old man communicated with his victims via the social media platform Snapchat and encouraged them to engage in sexual activities and send explicit images of themselves.

The man had previously pleaded guilty to 14 counts of online child abuse in the Adelaide District Court.

The verdict is the first conviction in South Australia under the Commonwealth minimum sentences for child sexual abuse offences.

The South Australian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (SA JACET), made up of members of the Australian Federal Police and South Australian Police, launched an investigation after West Mercia Police forwarded a report of a teenager making contact online with a man believed to be living in South Australia.

The SA JACET subsequently identified the man and executed a search warrant for his Edwardstown home in October 2022. Investigators seized a mobile phone containing sexually explicit messages involving ten young victims – aged 11 to 16 at the time of the crime – from across the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as numerous files containing child abuse images.

AFP Sergeant Joe Barry said the AFP had good working relationships with international law enforcement partners that had enabled the Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team to bring to justice a man who had caused significant harm to young victims.

“We cannot send a clearer message to offenders: if you engage in these heinous activities, you will be caught and face the full force of the law,” said Sergeant Barry.

“Online child abuse causes significant harm to victims, who suffer every time images or videos of the abuse are accessed and shared.

“Members of the South Australian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team regularly have to deal with the most abhorrent aspects of child sexual abuse and I would like to thank them for their tireless efforts to protect children and prosecute those who harm them.

“We encourage parents to talk to their children about their online activities, keep the conversation going and keep an open mind. It has never been more important to understand that the dangers we perceive in the real world are just as prevalent in the online world.”

The man pleaded guilty in December 2023:

• One count of possession of child abuse material using a delivery service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
• Two counts of using a transportation service for an offence under section 474.17 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
• Three counts of using a transportation service to engage in sexual activity with a person under 16 years of age, contrary to section 22A of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
• Three counts of soliciting child abuse material using a delivery service, contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
• Five counts of causing child abuse material to be transmitted to himself by a delivery service, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(ii) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

The man was sentenced to 23 years in prison with 17 years probation.

The AFP and its partners are committed to ending the exploitation and abuse of children, and the ACCCE is pursuing a common national approach to combating child abuse.

The ACCCE brings together expertise and skills in one central location, supports investigations into child sexual exploitation on the Internet and develops prevention strategies with a focus on creating a safer online environment.

Members of the public with information about anyone involved in child abuse are asked to contact the ACCCE at www.accce.gov.au/report. If you know abuse is taking place or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.

If you or someone you know is affected by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available at www.accce.gov.au/support.

A study conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 found that only about half of parents talk to their children about online safety. Advice and support for parents and carers on how they can help protect their children online can be found at www.thinkuknow.org.au, an AFP-led education program to prevent online child sexual exploitation.