Federal charges for Launceston man after child abuse material alert raised in America
Federal police officers have swooped a Launceston man’s house after receiving a notification from America he was allegedly trying to solicit child abuse material from an underage person online.
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A Tasmanian man’s home was searched by federal police officers following a notification from the United States that he was allegedly soliciting child abuse material from a minor via social media.
According to a joint statement from Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Tasmania Police, the 40-year-old Kings Meadows man appeared in the Launceston Magistrates Court on Wednesday this week.
He has been charged with two Commonwealth offences – possessing child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, and using a carriage service to access child abuse material.
He was charged by the Tasmania Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (TAS-JACET), which combines state and federal police.
The charges were laid after TAS-JACET received a report from the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an Australian online user allegedly engaging with a minor via social media to solicit child abuse material.
The man is yet to enter a plea.
Tasmanian and federal police officers executed a search warrant at the man’s house on March 26, allegedly finding child abuse images and videos, as well as messages with minors, stored on the man’s mobile phone.
“Trading these images is not a victimless crime. Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators,” AFP Detective Sergeant Aaron Hardcastle said.
“Our message to online offenders has not changed – if you procure, access and transmit child abuse material, you will be found, arrested and prosecuted.”
The maximum penalty for the offences is 15 years’ jail.
The man will return to court on April 26.
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