Cairns Court: Peter Campbell, 48, bush stash charges mentioned in Court

A man arrested and charged after a bush stash full of weapons and child exploitation material was uncovered by defence personnel on the Tablelands has been named in a Cairns court.

A man arrested and charged after a stash full of weapons and child exploitation material was uncovered by defence personnel in bushland on the Tablelands has had his matters mentioned in a Cairns court.

Peter Andrew Campbell, 48, was charged with two counts of possess child exploitation material and one count of unlawful possession of weapons category E.

His matter appeared for mention in Cairns Magistrates Court on April 29 where it was adjourned until June 28.

Upon the man’s arrest, police alleged that on February 21, 2024, Townsville-based members of the Australian Defence Force on a training exercise located a camouflaged makeshift timber shelter in the Mount Baldy Forest Reserve, west of Atherton, 80km south of Cairns.

Images of a makeshift bush hut discovered by Australian Defence Force members in Mount Baldy Forest Reserve, which police allege contained weapons, food, and child exploitation material. A 48-year-old Kanimbla man has been arrested and charged with two counts of possess child exploitation material and one count of unlawful possession of weapons category E.

The find was reported to police, who allegedly seized a number of weapons, military equipment, and ballistic plates – as well as a number of folders used to store printed child exploitation material.

Officer in Charge of the Tablelands Child Protection and Investigation Unit Detective Sergeant Kearin Corcoran said through processing the property at the camp, police honed in on the suspect.

Images of a makeshift bush hut discovered by Australian Defence Force members in Mount Baldy Forest Reserve, which police allege contained weapons, food, and child exploitation material. A 48-year-old Kanimbla man has been arrested and charged with two counts of possess child exploitation material and one count of unlawful possession of weapons category E.

On April 8, officers executed a search warrant at a Kanimbla property and allegedly seized electronic devices containing child exploitation material.

Sergeant Corcoran said investigators held suspicions the man was preparing for some sort of major, world-changing event.

Originally published as Cairns Court: Peter Campbell, 48, bush stash charges mentioned in Court