- A 31-year-old Sydney man will face a further 152 charges at Sydney Central Local Court today for allegedly sexually abusing young children and filming the abuse to share online.
- The man from St Clair was initially arrested in May 2020 under Operation Arkstone, a large-scale investigation into a global online network of alleged child sex offenders.
- He was charged with 44 child sexual abuse offences, including multiple counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years.
SYDNEY, New South Wales, Australia – A twist in a shocking international network of child sex exploitation and bestiality surfaced in the Sydney Central Local Court on Thursday, as a 31-year old man was hit with 152 additional charges.
The man is accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with children under ten, and filming the abuse so he could share it online.
A 31-year-old Sydney man will face a further 152 charges at Sydney Central Local Court today for allegedly sexually abusing young children and filming the abuse to share online.
The man was arrested in May last year under Operation Arkstone, a large-scale investigation into a global online network of alleged child sex offenders.
He was then charged with 44 child sexual abuse offences, including multiple counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years. He is now facing a total of 196 charges relating to child sexual abuse and bestiality offences.
Operation Arkstone began in February 2020 following a report to the AFP from the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an online user allegedly distributing and receiving child abuse material online.
Australian federal investigators uncovered the online network of alleged child sex offenders when examining the mobile phone seized during the arrest of a man from Wyong, on the New South Wales Central Coast).
The 31-year-old North Sydney man, who faced court on Thursday, has become the 20th man arrested as part of Operation Arkstone. Australian Federal Police investigators executed a search warrant at his residence in Willoughby, a northern Sydney suburb, on Wednesday.
Of the 20 men arrested and charged in Australia, fourteen are from the state of New South Wales, 3 from Queensland, and two from Western Australia.
The 20 men face a total of 1,026 charges related to child sexual abuse and in some cases bestiality offences.
Since Operation Arkstone began in early 2020, there have been 53 children removed from further harm in Australia.
As a result of evidence gathered during Operation Arkstone, the Australian Federal Police says it has made 146 international referrals to law enforcement agencies around the world.
Investigators say they have been sharing intelligence and working with their counterparts in Europe, Asia, the United States, and Canada, and New Zealand to identify child sex offenders and children in need of rescuing from further abuse.
U.S. Homeland Security Investigations has been integral in identifying the online network of alleged child sex offenders, which has now resulted in three arrests in the United States with inquiries continuing.
The Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police identified 2 young victims and charged one man with alleged sexual assault, sexual interference, and possessing child abuse material.
Australian Federal Police Commander Hilda Sirec said for every day that police could not identify a child being harmed is another day of potential abuse.
“We need to remove these children from harm and importantly, with law enforcement in Australia and across the globe, we must arrest those who carry out these heinous crimes,” Commander Sirec said Thursday.
“As a society, we still find it too confrontational to talk about child sexual abuse and exploitation. So we must have more conversations with the community and inform them that this crime is more pervasive and wide-spread than realised.”
“And during COVID-19, the prevalence of child exploitation has gotten worse,” Sirec said.
“Australia has stood shoulder to shoulder to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. We also need the country to use the same sense of purpose and urgency to help fight the exploitation of children.”
“No one nation is immune to the threat of child sexual abuse and no one nation can tackle it alone. Sadly, there are victims and child sex offenders throughout the world,” the commander said.
“Australian Federal Police investigators are sharing intelligence and working together with their domestic and international counterparts to stop child sex offenders from harming children.”
“Our officers are continuing to identify alleged offenders through Operation Arkstone and like today’s additional charges, will ensure every offence is accounted for, whether that person has three or 188 charges laid against them. No offence is too small when dealing with child sexual abuse,” Sirec added.
Commander of the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad, Detective Superintendent Stacey Maloney said New South Wales Police are committed to working with fellow law enforcement agencies here and abroad to protect the most vulnerable members of our community.
“We are proud to work with our Commonwealth and international partners to ensure that those responsible for causing children harm are held accountable for their actions,” Det. Supt Maloney said Thursday.
“Through collaboration and a shared mission to keep kids safe, we will continue to see investigators put individuals responsible for the most heinous of acts before the courts and importantly off the street.”
