Man accused of making child exploitation material with stepdaughters plus multiple sex matters to go to higher court

A man accused of pressuring his then de facto wife and her daughters to make child exploitation material in the family home is set to have his matters taken to a higher court.

A man in his 30s accused of making and distributing child exploitation material allegedly made with his de facto wife and her two teenage daughters has had his charges mentioned in Toowoomba Magistrates Court.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, first appeared in court in August 2022 on charges including two counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16, two of making child exploitation material, one count of possessing child exploitation material and two of unlawful possession of a weapon.

However, after further investigations, the man has since been charged with more than 50 further matters including 20 counts of involving a child in making child exploitation material, six of rape, nine of sexual assault, and one each of torture, uttering value security, insurance policy, and false representation of a Commonwealth official.

Toowoomba Courthouse

Police claim the man was the principal offender and was involved in the indecent treatment of his two stepdaughters aged between 14 and 17 at the time.

It’s alleged the girls’ mother was also involved in the offending as well as a 20-year-old woman, who was herself abused as a teenager before allegedly going on to be involved in the making of the child exploitation material herself.

Police claim the man had allegedly pressured his then partner and her children into making child exploitation material by claiming the Australian Federal Police wanted the images.

The matters came to light when the girls’ mother went to police to take out a domestic violence application against him and during that process the alleged child sex offences were revealed.

The man has not as yet been required to enter any pleas to the charges.

His solicitor Chelsea Saldumbide, of McConnell Saldumbide Lawyers, told the court on Thursday that the registry committal documents had been filed to take all charges up to the higher court and asked for an adjournment so that could be completed.

Magistrate Kay Philipson therefore remanded the man in custody and adjourned the case for mention back in same court on September 14.