Mackay police officer Mark Andrew Lewer is facing child exploitation and abuse material charges

A Queensland police officer has been arrested by Taskforce Argos after allegedly accessing disturbing AI images and text-based child abuse material. FULL DETAILS

A Mackay cop is face four charges child exploitation and abuse material.

A senior ranking Mackay cop has been allegedly busted for possessing and accessing child exploitation material over more than two years by the online child safety watchdog.

Taskforce Argos detectives arrested the 50 year old on March 4, 2024 after uncovering the shocking allegations involving AI images and text-based child abuse material.

Mark Andrew Lewer is facing four charges and a maximum of 15 years jail if found guilty.

It is alleged the now former Senior Sergeant was found possessing child exploitation material on March 4 as well as three separate counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material.

The allegations are that he knowingly possessed child exploitation material namely computer generated images and used a carriage service to access text based stories deemed to be child abuse material.

It is alleged these offences occurred on March 4 and 3, 2024.

A Mackay police officer is charged with possessing and accessing child exploitation and abuse material. Picture: Kevin Farmer / The Chronicle

Argos detectives, who specialise in online child exploitation and abuse offending, further allege on or about December 20 and 21, 2021 Lewer used a carriage service to access computer generated images deemed to be child abuse material.

It is alleged all offending occurred at his East Mackay home.

It is also alleged the incident occurred while he was off-duty.

Lewer had lived and worked in Mackay as a police officer for a number of years including when he was charged, but he is no longer employed with the Queensland Police Service. He was suspended from the QPS and subsequently resigned.

He has been granted conditional bail including that he must live at a specific address and he is not allowed to be alone or have indirection unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16.

Lewer has restricted use of the internet.

His matter was briefly mentioned in Mackay Magistrates Court on Monday when it was listed for a committal.

Because of the nature of the charges, the matter must be finalised in the district court.

The matters has been adjourned to a date in June.

Originally published as Mackay police officer Mark Andrew Lewer is facing child exploitation and abuse material charges