Operation Molto: Rutherford man charged in nationwide crackdown of alleged child abuse offenders
Operation Molto was launched last year after an international tip-off that thousands of men worldwide were sharing child abuse images over a cloud-based storage system. One of the 44 men charged is from the Hunter.
Newcastle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Newcastle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Man jailed for ‘brutal’ murder after violent home invasion
- ‘My dad is El Chappo’: Delayed sentence over Bar Beach stand-off
A Rutherford man is one of the 44 men charged following a nationwide sting into alleged child sex offenders.
Operation Molto, coordinated by the Australian Federal Police-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), was launched last year after an international tip-off that thousands of men worldwide were sharing child abuse images over a cloud-based storage system.
Some of the alleged offenders, who are also accused of producing their own child abuse material online, were allegedly in possession of ‘abhorrent’ material produced by a man arrested by the AFP in 2015 under Operation Niro.
This resulted in the dismantling of an international organised paedophile syndicate.
The operation has led to arrests right across the country, with a total of 350 charges laid against men between the ages of 19 and 57, and 16 children removed from harm.
Eight alleged offenders were in NSW and are facing 49 charges, while one child had to be removed from harm.
The Hunter man is facing five charges of possess or control child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service.
Most arrests came from Queensland and Victoria, with 11 alleged offenders each, while South Australia had nine charged and two from Western Australia. There was no-one charged from the Northern Territory.
The alleged offenders were employed in range of occupations, including construction, transport, law enforcement and hospitality.
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said while the hard-work, diligence and co-operation of police should be recognised, victims remained front of mind for law enforcement agencies.
“Arresting alleged offenders and putting them before the court is only half the battle,’’ Commissioner Kershaw said.
“Identifying victims is a race against time and the ACCCE’s victim identification team is relentless in rescuing children from sexual abuse.
“Pixel by pixel, our investigators painstakingly look for clues and never give up and the tools they use give Australian police access to world leading expertise.
“Viewing, distributing or producing child exploitation material is a crime. Children are not commodities and the AFP and its partner agencies work around-the-clock to identify and prosecute offenders.”