Australia: NSW police arrest over 60 suspects in major child abuse probe

Police in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, have seized what they describe as the largest-ever amount of child abuse material in a statewide crackdown, arresting more than 60 people and laying over 400 charges, News.Az reports, citing 9News.

Detectives said the investigation began in 2023 after the discovery of an Australian-linked network involving more than 700 alleged offenders who used an international cloud-based platform to access and distribute child abuse material.

NSW Police said the operation represents their largest-ever seizure of such material. Investigators worked alongside the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.

Authorities identified 62 alleged offenders living in NSW. Since the start of the operation in 2023, police have arrested all 62 individuals—61 men and one woman—charging them with more than 400 offences and safeguarding 20 identified child victims.

The three-year investigation concluded at around 5 a.m. on Thursday with the arrest of a 37-year-old man in Corrimal.

He was taken to Wollongong Police Station after police allegedly found large volumes of child abuse material on multiple devices. He was charged with 21 offences related to possession of the material and was refused bail before appearing in court.

Commander of the State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad, Adam Powderly, said the operation was one of the largest conducted by the unit.

“Every image shared, every file accessed, represents a real child who has been harmed,” he said.

He added that the final arrest “closes one of the biggest CEIU strike forces to date” and significantly disrupted a major part of Australia’s online child abuse network.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev