Sydney ALP president faces new child sex abuse charges

Peter Andrew Hansen was expected to be sentenced for child sex offences related to producing horrific videos while in Asia but prosecutors delayed the case to hit him with fresh allegations.

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A former priest and ALP branch president was preparing to be sentenced for almost two dozen child sex crimes until police announced he was about to be hit with fresh charges.

Peter Andrew Hansen had served as the president of the Labor Party’s Cabramatta branch and was previously a priest for the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne until 2011.

But he was pulled aside by Border Force agents at Sydney airport on his way back from Vietnam in October 2018.

Peter Andrew Hansen, who has been charged over child pornography offences in Southeast Asia. Picture: Facebook

While rifling through his bag they pulled out a hard drive containing seven videos of young boys, court documents would later reveal.

The videos opened with a title screen of the boys’ names and ages, all between 12 and 15, before cutting to the children being told to remove their clothes and perform sexual acts.

Hansen was arrested and charged and has remained in custody since.

One year later the then-61-year-old pleaded guilty to 23 child exploitation charges in a Sydney court.

Peter Hansen was stood down from his role as president of the western Sydney ALP branch five months after his arrest.

Among the charges are 15 counts of producing child pornography in the Philippines and Vietnam between early 2014 and late 2017.

There are also five charges of transmitting child pornography, one count of possessing child porn and importing prohibited goods — the videos in his luggage.

Hansen was expected to be sentenced in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Friday but the crown prosecutor called for an adjournment so “eight to 10 fresh charges” could be brought against him.

The court heard the new charges also related to allegations of child sexual exploitation overseas.

The Daily Telegraph understands police were headed to Long Bay prison, where Hansen remains in custody, to formally charge him on Friday.

He did not appear in court and his lawyer did not indicate a plea to the new allegations.

Hansen will not be required in court on May 1 when the new charges will first be formally mentioned but must appear on June 4, when he is now expected to be sentenced.

The “proud Cabramattan” was stood down as president of the western Sydney ALP branch five months after his arrest.