Man with over 71,000 images of child exploitation sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison
The Australian man from Western Australia was found to have multiple electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material, including ‘snuff’ films.
During the search of electronic devices belonging to a 41-year-old man in Western Australia, Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers discovered 71,486 pieces of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and six “snuff” images showing young females who were either deceased or being tortured.
The investigation that led to his arrest began in November 2022 when state police searched a residence in Swansea, New South Wales as part of an online child abuse probe.
A mobile phone seized during the search contained links to CSAM and details of online users who had downloaded the content, including the Perth man.
In March of the following year, AFP officers searched the man’s home in Gosnells, Western Australia, where they found electronic devices that had been used to access, download, and store child abuse material.
He was charged with five counts of possessing or controlling child abuse material, two counts of accessing child abuse material, and one count of using a carriage service to access such material.
During his court appearance last week, he was sentenced to 11 years and nine months in prison, with a non-parole period of seven years.
He used multiple active social media accounts to obtain the material and interacted with 11 online chat groups, accessing 1,258 videos and 240 images.
Of the 71,486 unique files he saved, there were child abuse incidents involving 18,648 child victims, with 510 of them being identified and rescued by law enforcement agencies worldwide.
According to AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Chwal, the man’s offenses showcased the deplorable mindset of such offenders who saw children as mere objects for their pleasure, disregarding the harm they caused.
He emphasized that accessing and downloading such material supports a despicable industry and normalizes a crime that inflicts lifelong trauma on victims and their families.
Chwal expressed the commitment of investigators to protect children globally and pursue offenders to face justice.
Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 revealed that only about half of parents talked to their children about online safety.
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