A Darwin man has been charged with child sexual abuse crimes after police allegedly made a shocking discovery on his phone during a random bag check upon his arrival in the Northern Territory.
The Australian Border Force launched a multi-agency investigation after officials reportedly found child abuse material when the man was returning to Darwin on New Year’s Day.
Authorities allegedly discovered sexually explicit videos and images of children on the man’s phone, along with video calls to facilitators in the Philippines, instructing them to livestream the sexual abuse of children as young as six years old.
On January 3, police executed a search warrant at locations where the man had been living, including a vehicle and a yacht, leading to his arrest.
He was charged with two counts of sexual intercourse with a child outside Australia, two counts of sexual activity with a child outside Australia, and one count of possessing child abuse material.
If found guilty of all five charges, the 68-year-old will face a cumulative maximum sentence of 95 years behind bars.
He first appeared in court on January 7 and was remanded in custody until another hearing on Tuesday, when he did not appear but was represented by his lawyer.
A 68-year-old man was arrested in a Darwin car park in January after Australian Border Force officials allegedly found child abuse materials on his phone
The Australian allegedly directed child abuse offences via videocalls with foreign nationals
The man faces a cumulative sentence of 95 years in prison if found guilty of the charges
The prosecution was granted an adjournment until June 24 to allow time to gather ‘outstanding material’ it would need to present to the court.
A Northern Territory special investigation unit provided information about the alleged abuses to Philippines police.
Philippines authorities conducted an operation in April and arrested two alleged abuse facilitators and rescued the six young children.
AFP Superintendent Greg Davis said the force would relentlessly pursue sex criminals.
‘The protection of children is one of the AFP’s highest priorities,’ he said.
‘All victims of child sexual exploitation experience lifelong harm because of the selfish actions of their abusers.
‘The AFP will continue to work closely with local, Commonwealth and international partners to protect children from sickening abuse, and together identify offenders and bring them before the courts.’
ABF Commander Tracie Griffin said the vigilance of ABF officers at Australia’s border was absolutely critical in protecting the most vulnerable.
‘I want to commend the work of the ABF officers involved in the alleged discovery of child abuse material on this man’s phone. Six children are safe because of their diligence and the work of our domestic and international law enforcement partners,’ Commander Griffin said.
The AFP urged anyone with knowledge of an abuse happening right now or a child at risk to call police on 000.
