Darwin: Australian Federal Police arrest man after six children rescued from online abuse ring

Taskforce police in Darwin have arrested a man allegedly caught participating in the most heinous of crimes against a group of children in the Philippines.

Anti-Child Exploitation detectives were notified and began an investigation into the 68-year-old after Australian Border Force officers allegedly found child abuse material in his mobile phone.

The Australian Federal Police said that six children have been removed from harm in the Philippines following the investigation, which involved the live online abuse of the minors.

The man appeared in Darwin Local Court on Tuesday, charged with five offences, including allegedly directing the sexual abuse of young children, as he watched the crimes live on video from another location.

Border Force officers randomly selected the man for a baggage examination on his arrival into Darwin on January 1 and checked his mobile phone as part of the search.

Further forensic examination of the man’s mobile phone resulted in police allegedly finding sexually explicit videos and images of children, as well as video calls from the man to facilitators in the Philippines, instructing them to livestream sexual abuse of children as young as six.

Australian-based investigators executed a search warrant on January 3, at Dinah Beach in Darwin, where the man had been residing in a vehicle and a yacht, and arrested him.

He initially appeared in court on January 7, and was remanded in custody to reappear on Tuesday.

Police in Darwin then provided information to AFP members in Manila, which led to an investigation by the Philippines National Police before authorities arrested two Philippine nationals and removed the six children from harm.

The Darwin man has been 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.

“The protection of children is one of the AFP’s highest priorities. All victims of child sexual exploitation experience lifelong harm because of the selfish actions of their abusers,” AFP Supt Greg Davis said.

“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.”

Philippine National Police Brigadier General Portia B Manalad said the PNP and the AFP continue to regularly collaborate on child exploitation cases.

“The PNP Women and Children Protection Centre will continue to locate alleged offenders and rescue victims with the assistance of our foreign partners,” Brigadier General Manalad said.