Australian man charged with more than 400 sexual offenses against children
The 47-year-old man from the Australian city of Perth faces numerous charges, including 240 counts of indecent dealing with a child under 13 years, 98 counts of indecently recording a child under 13 years, and 44 counts of sexual penetration of a child under 13 years, Western Australia police said in a statement Wednesday.He also faces 26 counts of possessing child exploitation material, and five counts of producing child exploitation material.The charges follow a months-long investigation sparked by a tip off in July last year, according to the statement.The statement said search warrants were carried out at the man’s home and workplace, during which police located and seized multiple electronic storage devices. After a digital forensic examination, authorities identified approximately 3.8 million images and videos which were considered child exploitation material — and which captured offending allegedly committed by the accused. Detectives identified 24 victims — including both boys and girls — who had been subject to sexual abuse, according to the statement. The offending allegedly took place between 2015 and 2021.”This investigation is one of the most significant child abuse investigations ever conducted in Western Australia in so far as how many images were located and how many victims we will allege have been abused,” Detective Inspector Hamish McKenzie said, according to CNN affiliate 9 News. According to the 9 News report, the children were aged between three and 13 — and police will allege the victims were known to the man through family and friends. The man is due to appear later this month in the Perth Magistrates Court.
