Child predator network dismantled

Seven men have been charged and a child predator network has been dismantled following an intensive 11-month joint investigation led by the NSW Police Force, with the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

The arrests are the result of information uncovered by detectives from the NSW Child Protection and Sex Crimes Squad in February this year.

Strike Force Pymont was subsequently established to investigate a network of men around Australia alleged to have been involved in the distribution of child pornography.

As a result of the covert investigation, nine search warrants have been executed across Australia by detectives from the NSW Child Protection and Sex Crimes Squad, AFP and Queensland Police.

NSW Police Force Detective Superintendent Helen Begg, Commander of the Child Protection and Sex Crimes Squad, said thousands of images had been seized during the investigation.

“The majority of these arrests have been made in regional areas of New South Wales, as well as interstate, which demonstrates how the internet can be used to exploit children and our ability to track those people involved, no matter where they are.

“We will allege this syndicate was involved in the production and distribution of child pornography. However, there are many more exhibits, including computers and discs, still to undergo forensic examination.

“Police will also allege that the risk of future harm to children has been minimised as a result of this investigation. We uncovered information which indicates this network spreads across the country and internationally, not only sharing illicit material but also using the network to identify potential victims and avoid detection by law enforcement agencies.

“Our investigation should serve as a warning to those people engaged in this type of criminal activity. You can’t hide behind the anonymity of the internet. We have the technology and skills to covertly monitor your usage of the computer and you will be tracked down and charged.

“The exploitation of children for sexual gratification is disturbing and this operation is also a timely reminder to parents of the need to learn about the internet and, in particular, ways to protect their children from predators, including those who use the internet,” Detective Superintendent Begg said.

Additional information about cyber safety, including a brochure called Who’s chatting to your kids, is available for parents and young people by visiting http://www.police.nsw.gov.au and http://www.netalert.gov.au.

The AFP’s Acting National Manager of High Tech Crime Operations, Kevin Zuccato, said that the joint investigation represents successful collaboration between State and Federal police and their ongoing commitment to protecting children against sexual exploitation.

“These arrests are a stark reminder to parents and children to remain vigilant, particularly during school holidays, about who they provide with their details via the internet and who they associate with over the holidays,” he said.

A number of investigations are ongoing. AFP and the NSW Police Force, as well as other law enforcement agencies across Australia, are committed to continuing their investigations into predators who target our children.

ARREST AND CHARGE INFORMATION

Overnight six people were charged and eight search warrants were executed in New South Wales and Victoria.

· A 38-year-old South West Rocks man was charged with 14 counts of use carriage service to transmit child pornography, four counts of disseminate child pornography, six counts of possess child pornography and one count of each use carriage service to groom a child aged under 16 and produce child pornography. He was refused bail to appear in Port Macquarie Local Court today.

· A 51-year-old man from Orange was charged with 10 counts of disseminate/produce child pornography and one count of possess child pornography. He was refused bail to appear in Orange Local Court today.

· A 29-year-old Coonabarabran man is due to appear in Tamworth Local Court today charged with two counts of disseminate/produce child pornography.

· A 22-year-old man from Griffith was charged with one count each of disseminate/produce child pornography and possess child pornography. He was refused bail to appear in Wagga Wagga Local Court today.

· A 49-year-old from Melbourne, in Victoria, was charged with use carriage service and two counts of possess child pornography (Commonwealth and Victorian legislation). He was bail refused and is due to appear in Melbourne Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.

· A Rosebery man, aged 31, was charged with drug-related offences. A number of items were seized during the execution of a search warrant and inquiries are ongoing.

Additional search warrants were executed at premises in Port Macquarie and Niagara Park (on the state’s Central Coast). A number of items were seized for forensic examination, with detectives continuing their inquiries.

Meanwhile, in August a 17-year-old youth was arrested in Queensland and charged with using a carriage service for child pornography material.