SIX CHILDREN RESCUED IN SH0CK WA CASE 💔 POLICE ALLEGE MAN WAS FOUND WITH CHILD ABU-SE MATERIAL AS INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS DISTU-RBING NEW DETAILS
Six children have been rescued after an Australian man was caught with alleged child abuse material on his phone.
The children were taken to safety by the Philippine National Police (PNP) based on intelligence provided by the AFP about the investigation of the WA man, 53.
Six children have been removed from harm in the Philippines. AFP
“ABF has zero tolerance for the importation, possession or distribution of child abuse material,” ABF Inspector John Sweet said.
“As this case demonstrates, behind every image is a real child who has been exploited.”
The 53-year-old man from Albany, West Australia, was intercepted at Perth Airport by Australian Border Force (ABF) back in March.
He had just returned from the Philippines.
ABF officers discovered a mobile phone in his bags which allegedly contained child abuse material, and communications with a Filipino resident suspected to be facilitating the alleged abuse.
AFP investigators worked with the Victim Identification Team at the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) to identify the Filipino resident suspected of facilitating the alleged abuse.
This intelligence was provided to the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC), which referred the matter to the PNP.
The PNP conducted a series of operations to recover the children believed to have been exploited.
“The AFP is supercharging global operations through international partnerships like PICACC to protect children, remove them from harm and pursue those who target vulnerable communities here in Australia and around the world,” Detective Acting Inspector Josh Gilmour said.
The children believed to have been exploited were taken to safety by the PFP. AFP
The WA man was charged with five offences in March, including two counts of accessing child abuse material, and two counts of engaging in conduct with the intention of procuring a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity.
He is scheduled to reappear in Perth Magistrates Court today and faces a maximum penalty of up to 70 years in prison.
The ACCCE Child Protection Triage Unit received more than 82,000 reports of online child sexual exploitation in the 2024-25 financial year alone, representing a 41 per cent spike in reporting.
About 11 per cent of women and nearly four per cent of men in Australia have experienced sexual abuse perpetrated by an adult before the age of 15, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
SOURCE: https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/wa/crime-wa-man-caught-with-child-sexual-abuse-material-six-children-rescued-20260626-p60a9j.html
