A RESIDENT from North Sydney appeared in Hornsby Local Court on 16 December last year, as he was charged with three online child abuse-related offences.

Police officers executed a search warrant at the man’s home in Hornsby on the 15th of December, where they allegedly found child abuse material on multiple electronic devices and the Facebook account used to transmit child abuse material.

Authorities seized a mobile phone and laptop, believed to belong to the man, and were then subject to further forensic examination.

The man was then arrested the following day (16th of December) and taken into custody where he was refused bail.

The overall investigation began back in September when the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the United States’ National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an online user uploading child abuse material to Facebook Messenger.

AFP investigators allegedly were able to link the man, 65, to the illegal online activity.

“This arrest should serve as a warning that law enforcement is dedicated to fighting child sexual abuse and bringing those who commit these offences before the court,” AFP Senior Constable Hayler said.

“Our investigators are relentless in their pursuit of anyone sharing or accessing child abuse material. But we will always need the community’s help to ensure we are effective in identifying victims and perpetrators.

Details of the man’s charges include:

• Two counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
• One count of using carriage service to access child abuse material contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

The maximum penalty for these offences is 15 years' imprisonment.