CANBERRA, ACT, April 30 -- Australian Federal Police issued the following media release:
A Northern Territory man has been sentenced to nine years and nine months' imprisonment after being convicted of 20 offences relating to child abuse material.
The man, 52, was sentenced in the Katherine Local Court today (30 April, 2026) for offences involving the accessing, possessing and transmitting of child abuse material.
The man will serve a non-parole period of four years and six months' imprisonment.
The investigation began after the AFP received more than 20 separate reports from the United States' National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an Australian-based user uploading child abuse material online.
The Northern Territory Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) charged the man in February, 2024, after investigators found child abuse material on his mobile phone during the execution of a search warrant at a home in Pine Creek. Further forensic examination of that mobile phone identified the man was transmitting child abuse material via social media platforms.
AFP Detective acting Superintendent Pixie Fuhrmeister said the AFP would continue to pursue offenders who preyed on children with unwavering determination.
"Protecting children from abuse and exploitation is a priority for the AFP, and we are relentless in our efforts to identify, disrupt and hold offenders to account," Det a/Supt Fuhrmeister said.
"Working side by side with domestic and international law enforcement partners, our focus remains on safeguarding children wherever they are and ensuring those who seek to harm them are brought before the courts.
"The AFP will continue to work across borders and with our members overseas to target organised child abuse networks and bring offenders to justice, no matter where they operate."
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 at www.accce.gov.au/report. 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 at www.accce.gov.au/support.
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 www.thinkuknow.org.au, 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 www.accce.gov.au.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
