Inside Arkstone: Jake Caldwell-Edwards sentenced for child abuse material

A northern beaches chef found with thousands of vile child abuse images after Australia’s most significant investigation into crimes of this kind has learned his fate.

A northern beaches chef who once worked at multiple highly regarded Sydney restaurants has avoided jail after he was found with thousands of child abuse files on his phones and computer.

Jake Caldwell-Edwards, 30, pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, possessing or controlling child abuse material, and using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material.

The Seaforth man was arrested on November 3 2020 as part of Operation Arkstone.

The Australian Federal Police investigation uncovered an online network of Australian and foreign nationals sharing child abuse and bestiality material.

At Sydney District Court, Judge Gina O’Rourke read out the disturbing details of Caldwell-Edwards’ offending.

Jake Caldwell-Edwards, 30.

Jake Caldwell-Edwards, 30.

“He participated in an interview with police in which he said he thought they were attending for child abuse material, and said they would find videos on his phone,” Judge O’Rourke said.

“He said he had never sexually abused children or touched children and no payment had ever been given for the material.”

In total, police discovered 3608 files of highly depraved child abuse material on one phone, three separate folders on cloud service Dropbox with 16gb of child abuse material, and evidence of conversations with users identifying as children on messaging apps Skype and Kik.

The court heard Caldwell-Edwards had a highly dysfunctional childhood owing to his parents’ addictions to heroin and alcohol.

He pursued a cooking apprenticeship after high school and had worked at Hugo’s in Manly as well as other highly regarded Sydney restaurants up until his arrest.

“He is bisexual, and realised his sexuality at 16 but never truly accepted it,” Judge O’Rourke said.

Caldwell-Edwards previously worked as a chef at Hugo’s in Manly.

“He attended a homophobic boys school and he started using gay hook-up apps from his teens, and this was a weekly habit.

“His use of child abuse material was a way of processing his early sexualisation.”

Judge O’Rourke acknowledged Caldwell-Edwards told a psychologist he was “deeply ashamed” and knows what he has done is wrong.

“He says, ‘I’m deeply regretful, the children in the images I saw had no choice and were exploited’,” Judge O’Rourke said.

“He says ‘I do not want to be involved in anything that harms children again’.”

Caldwell-Edwards was convicted and sentenced to a prison term of two years and six months, to be released immediately on a Commonwealth recognisance for two years.

He will be required to be of good behaviour, accept supervision from Community Corrections, and not travel outside the state of country without notifying his supervising officer.

The court also ordered his phones and computer to be forfeited to the court.