Inside Arkstone: Full list of ‘respected’ men arrested under online child abuse probe
Everyone who has learned their fate after being arrested under the nation’s largest online child abuse probe can be revealed.
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They were junior soccer coaches, childcare workers and major media channel employees.
That was until they were caught under Australian Federal Police’s Operation Arkstone, the largest online child abuse investigation in terms of number of arrests and children saved in the nation’s history.
While state and territory police forces contributed to what became a global probe, they each confirmed no other single investigation has been larger.
Before now, the arrests and court cases of these men were drip fed to the public. For the first time, we can reveal how the extensive investigation into child abuse material led police officers from one corner of Australia to another until 12 men were sentenced for their crimes.
Another 14 men remain before the courts. Those who have pleaded or been found guilty have been named, while we have revealed certain details of those who cannot be named for legal reasons.
The names listed were men sentenced for offences of various severity levels, ranging from viewing child abuse material to recording themselves abusing children and sending videos of the heinous violations over the internet.
What they share is being arrested under Operation Arkstone, an investigation into an online child abuse syndicate where men exchanged vile material over common chat platforms such as Snapchat.
They are listed in order of arrest dates.
Justin Radford. Arrested: Feb 11, 2020 in Wyong, NSW Central Coast
The discovery of thousands of depraved child abuse images and videos on an incriminating USB stick in this man’s Wyong home was the first piece of an online child abuse puzzle so expansive and repugnant that police rushed to form their largest investigation into such crimes.
The 32-year-old former Nine Network tape library assistant pleaded guilty to 17 charges, including seven counts of sexually touching a young boy, four counts of using the child to produce child abuse material and disseminating it and thousands of images and videos of child abuse and bestiality material to 19 people.
Gosford District Court heard Radford also filmed himself sexually abusing a young boy 10 times with the intention of sharing the material with other “like-minded” people.
On July 19 last year, he was jailed for 18 years with a non-parole period of 12 years.
Bennjaman Callaghan & Jackson McGill. Both arrested May 7, 2020 in Hervey Bay, QLD
It didn’t take long after Arkstone’s inception for police to pounce on their next targets.
The vile online paedophile ring uncovered in Wyong led them to a couple living in a picturesque coastal town in southern Queensland.
Bennjaman Callaghan, from Cleveland, is the former partner of Hervey Bay hairdresser Jackson McGill, who is seven years Callaghan’s junior.
Court documents revealed Callaghan and McGill fantasised about sexually abusing male children together.
During McGill’s sentencing remarks, Hervey Bay District Court heard he discovered Callaghan’s child abuse images early in their relationship and exchanged some of the texts and images to impress his partner.
McGill was the first man to be sentenced under Operation Arkstone.
The 24-year-old pleaded guilty in August 2021 to possessing, producing, supplying and using a carriage service to transmit child exploitation material and breaching his duty of care to an animal.
He was sentenced in Hervey Bay District Court to 14 months in prison, to be released after four months with a recognisance order – similar to parole – worth $1000 and a three-year good behaviour bond.
Nine months later, Callaghan pleaded guilty to six charges of sending or publishing child abuse material, one charge of produce or supply child abuse material for use through a carriage service and one charge of possessing child exploitation material.
He was sentenced in Brisbane District Court to prison terms ranging from 18 months to three years.
The 31-year-old will be released on a recognisance order after eight months, with a $2000 security, two years’ probation and a five-year good behaviour bond.
Grant Harden. Arrested May 8, 2020 in St Clair, NSW
This former Sydney soccer coach who bragged to fellow paedophiles about “sex party” sleepovers with children as young as five, some of whom he drugged before the abuse, was given the harshest punishment of any Operation Arkstone offender to date.
Parents of one of the 31-year-old’s seven victims spoke exclusively to NewsLocal about their horrific ordeal.
Harden sent thousands of videos and photos of abuse — including of children he had himself assaulted — to other users in exchange for receiving sexual abuse material that sometimes included torture of babies and toddlers.
Richard Spry. Arrested May 8, 2020 in Glenwood, Sydney
In a disgusting revelation, this airconditioner worker was in a sexual relationship with Harden and admitted to receiving child abuse material from the convicted paedophile.
Police found and seized a rack-mounted computer in Spry’s garage with nearly 800 videos and images of child sex abuse material, some of which was sent by his heinous ex-lover, court documents reveal.
Nearly 100 videos and 15 images were of penetrative sexual activity between children or adults and children, 11 images and 6 videos included either sadism, humiliation or bestiality and 57 images were of animated or virtual children engaged in sexual poses or activity, the facts read.
The material was found in various zip folders titled “young boys”, “sweet guys”, “catfished”, “Fun”,“ Young Boys”,“ BOYS PICS AND VIDS” and “stalking Grant”.
Spry pleaded guilty at Penrith Local Court to one count of possessing child abuse material and is due to be sentenced October 28.
Bryce Powell. Arrested May 12, 2020 in Gosnells, WA
Just four days later, police honed in on a young man nearly 4000kms away, showing how the borderless crime of exchanging child abuse material could instantly and seamlessly travel to the other side of the country.
Powell, the youngest man charged under Arkstone, was just 19 years old when he was arrested in the Western Australia city of Gosnells.
On October 14, 2021, Powell pleaded guilty in Perth District Court to 114 offences, including the sexual abuse of five boys, recording some of the abuse and sharing videos and footage online with other alleged offenders.
He was sentenced on October 14, 2021, to 13 years and four months with a non-parole period of 11 years and four months.
Alec McGeary. Arrested May 20, 2020 in Botany, Sydney
Just one year older than Powell, 21-year-old McGeary was an amateur porn star, IT worker and engineering student when he was arrested at his home in Randwick, in Sydney’s east.
According to court documents, McGeary’s phone had a link saved in ‘Notes’ to a Dropbox account where there was a folder entitled “Boy Gulag” which contained the child sex abuse images.
After moving back to Tasmania, McGeary pleaded guilty to one count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material and one count of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service.
The Supreme Court of Tasmania heard he received child abuse material from a man he met online and looked at it over two to three years – acts the court accepted he regretted.
McGeary, who had no prior criminal record, avoided jail time and was sentenced to six months home detention order with electronic monitoring.
Steven Garrad and Timothy Doyle. Both arrested June 4, 2020 in Kendall, NSW Mid North Coast
Three weeks after their last Arkstone arrest, officers who’d spent sleepless nights gathering evidence were ready to barge in on two of the most monstrous men they’d caught to date.
Several simultaneous raids in the mid-north coast town of Kendall led to the arrest of 29-year-old childcare worker Timothy Doyle and his partner, 24-year-old Steven Garrad, who admitted to abusing dozens of boys between them.
In abuse too graphic and disgusting to detail, Garrad pleaded guilty to more than 100 offences, which include acts of indecency with person under 16 years and sexual intercourse with child under the age of 10 years.
Doyle pleaded guilty and will be sentenced for more than 200 charges including sexual intercourse with a child younger than 10 and intentionally sexually touch child under 10. The pair is due to be sentenced on November 7 at Downing Centre District Court.
Brent Nicoletto. Arrested June 25, 2020, in Perth, WA. Deceased
Brent Nicoletto was 29 when he was arrested but has since died.
He pleaded guilty in 2020 to using a carriage service to access and transmit child abuse material. He was sentenced on Feb 24, 2021 in Perth District Court to 18 months imprisonment and was released immediately on an 18-month good behaviour bond.
Stephen Potts. Arrested August 6, 2020 in Goonellabah, Northern Rivers NSW
Potts expressed self-disgust before he was sentenced in December for eight offences he pleaded guilty to, including three of using a carriage service to transmit, publish or promote child abuse.
The 30-year-old told Lismore District Court he had divorced from his husband and lost his ability to continue work in the disability sector after his arrest.
Potts was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail on December 17, 2021, but will be released on a recognisance release order under good behaviour for three years.
Jake Caldwell-Edwards. Arrested November 3, 2020 in Seaforth, NSW
Police made a disgusting discovery at this 29-year-old man’s Seaforth home.
Agreed facts tendered to Downing Centre District Court showed police found 3608 files containing child sex abuse material on two iphones and one computer, including children doing sexual acts with each other.
Also uncovered were chats in the application KIK, where Caldwell-Edwards was asked by a user called “twinkboybutt”: “do you like that I’m 14?” to which Caldwell-Edwards responded: “yeah aha”.
Another user asked Caldwell-Edwards: “you done anything with young boys?” to which he responded “yes … youngest was 12, then to 16”.
According to the facts, Caldwell-Edwards told police he had never sexually abused children or made financial gain from the material.
Caldwell-Edwards pleaded guilty to one count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, one count of possess/control child abuse material and two counts of using a carriage service to possess child abuse material. He is due to be sentenced on December 2.
Tyson Clarke. Arrested on November 6, 2020 in Townsville, QLD
Clarke took sexual photos of a baby and sent them to multiple people online, a court heard.
The 34-year-old Townsville man also solicited sexual pictures of a child younger than 10 from another online.
Clarke was given a head sentence of two years at Townsville District Court in February for seven offences which he pleaded guilty to, including indecent treatment of a child, involving a child in making child exploitation material and using a carriage service to solicit child exploitation material.
He was required to serve at least six months before he is eligible to apply for supervised parole.
Brett Chesworth. Arrested November 27, 2020 in Newcastle, NSW
A search of the 51-year-old man’s New Lambton Heights home ended in seizure of two electronic devices with child abuse material.
Police facts state the devices included videos of adults sexually abusing babies and toddlers and stored online. Web chats also revealed the 55-year-old had encouraged another man to record himself abusing his own child.
In June 2021, he pleaded guilty to seven offences which included possession of child abuse material and using a carriage service to transmit and access child abuse material between March 2019 and September 2020. He also pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to offend by discussing sexual activity with underage person, and using a carriage service to prepare or plan to procure a person under 16 to engage in sexual activity.
Chesworth was sentenced to four years and six months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and six months, at Sydney’s Downing District Court on December 20, 2021.
Arrest made on December 17, 2020 in Newcastle, NSW.
Sentenced to six years prison for using a carriage service to harass, using a carriage service involving private sexual material to harass, using a carriage service to transmit, publish or promote child abuse material and use carriage service to plan a sexual act against a person. While this man’s case is complete, he cannot be named for legal reasons.
Ohrin Banas. Arrested January 14, 2021 in Lane Cove, Sydney
After being arrested in an affluent suburb in Sydney’s leafy north shore, Banas was sentenced to two years and six months jail in March for wilful and obscene exposure in a public place, possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained using a carriage service and using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material.
The 29-year-old pleaded guilty to the charges at Downing Centre District Court.
He will be eligible for release on a $100 recognisance release order after serving 15 months, when he will enter a two-year good behaviour bond.
Shaun Dregmans. Arrested on March 17, 2021 in Willoughby, Sydney
A desire to impress a Grindr date was the motivation that landed hospitality worker Shaun Dregmans in trouble with the law, a court heard.
Dregmans pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material after a dawn raid on his north shore home.
On March 14, the 32-year-old was sentenced in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court to two years jail but was released immediately on a $5000 recognisance release order and a four-year good behaviour bond.
The court heard Dregmans messaged “that’s so hot” when asked if he likes bestiality and child abuse videos, and “I was hoping you’d say that” when he was asked if he wanted to watch incest, bestiality and child abuse videos.
He had been asked those questions by a man he met on Grindr who he wanted to impress and was totally repulsed by what he said, the court heard.
James Ronald Selby. Arrested September 17 2021, Surry Hills, NSW
The 42-year-old former rugby executive pleaded guilty to nine counts of possessing or sending child abuse material.
He will be sentenced later this year.
Full list of other people who have been charged, allegedly in connection with Operation Arkstone
- Man arrested on Feb 24, 2021 in Tregear, NSW. Case remains before the courts. Faces 30 charges including sex with child under 10, use child under 14 to make child sex material and bestiality. No pleas have been entered.
- Man arrested on March 9, 2021, in Maitland, NSW. Case remains before the courts.
- Man arrested on July 23, 2021 at Sale, VIC. Case remains before the courts.
- Man arrested on November 18, 2021 at Truganina, VIC. He is due to enter a plea on November 21 at the County Court of Victoria.
- Man arrested on November 25 at Hobart, TAS – the first Tasmanian to be charged under Arkstone. Police allegedly found multiple electronic devices with images, videos and online chat messages relating to child exploitation. Police allegedly seized 19 electronic devices, as well as a small quantity of ammunition.
- Man arrested on January 26 at Midway Point, TAS. Case remains before the courts.
- Man arrested on March 1 at Camperdown, VIC. Case remains before the courts.
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