Bishop Paul Kingsman caught in online child abuse sting after alleged torture chats

Paul Kingsman, a bishop with the Sydney branch of the Ecumenical Church of Australia, has been charged after allegedly accessing child abuse material and discussing torture online.

A Sydney bishop and his lover have been charged following a months-long investigation, accused of viewing and sharing online child abuse material and having discussions about torturing kids.

Paul Kingsman, a bishop with the Sydney branch of the Ecumenical Church of Australia was arrested following a major sting by the Australian Federal Police on Thursday, after he came to the attention of detectives earlier this year.

The AFP started investigating Kingsman and his boyfriend Calvin Hong in February, after receiving a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an Australian social media user discussing child abuse with other users.

The AFP allegedly linked Kingsman, 58, to the conversations and executed a search

warrant at his home in Sydney’s west on Thursday.

Paul Kingsman, a bishop with the Sydney branch of the Ecumenical Church of Australia, has been charged with possessing and accessing child abuse material. Picture: Supplied

Multiple devices were seized during the search, including some belonging to Hong, aged 27.

The AFP alleges devices belonging to the bishop contained child abuse material,

including some depicting torture as well as fantasy conversations about abusing children.

The Telegraph can reveal some of the conversations dated back several years, some to 2021.

Searches of Hong’s devices allegedly found messages about child abuse.

Kingsman was charged with seven counts of use a carriage service to transmit, publish, distribute or promote child abuse material and two counts of produce, disseminate or possess child abuse material.

Hong was charged with one count of use carriage service to transmit, make available, publish, distribute or promote child abuse material and one count of use carriage service to cause child abuse material to be transmitted to self.

Paul Kingsman, a bishop with the Sydney branch of the Ecumenical Church of Australia. Picture: Supplied

Both Kingsman and Hong faced court on Friday, where a magistrate agreed to release Hong to bail, on the conditions he handed over his passport and report to police daily.

Kingsman, despite facing the prospect of 15 years jail if found guilty, was also released on bail, ordered not to contact his boyfriend as a condition.

AFP Detective Acting Inspector Glen Evans said graphic discussions about child abuse were

abhorrent and illegal.

“Sharing child abuse material, including online discussions about the torture and abuse of children, is a criminal offence,” he said.

“When we find evidence on people’s devices that they have allegedly been engaging in these vile conversations, we will not hesitate to charge them.

“Predators think they can lurk behind their screen, but every interaction is traceable and they will be caught and put before the courts. Our investigations into this matter will continue.”

Originally published as Bishop Paul Kingsman caught in online child abuse sting after alleged torture chats