A 50-year-old Windang man accused of using social media to send and receive hundreds of videos and images of children being sexually abused will face Wollongong court on Thursday following a tip-off from United States authorities.
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The Australian Federal Police arrested the man after raiding his home in Windang on Wednesday and seizing two mobile phones for further digital forensic analysis.
The federal investigation began after a tip from the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children that an internet user believed to be based in Australia had accessed child abuse material using a Google account.
Detectives identified a New Zealand national living in Wollongong as the person suspected of using Facebook, Telegram, Wikr and Whatsapp to download and transmit child abuse material.
The 50-year-old was charged with two counts of possessing or controling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, and three counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material.
The potential maximum penalty for the offences is 15 years' imprisonment.
Detective Superintendent Ben McQuillan said the AFP is committed to tracking down and charging perpetrators who exploit vulnerable children.
"Child sex abuse offences committed online have real life consequences," heil said.
"Every time these images are viewed and shared, children are harmed. The AFP will continue to focus on the protection of children both nationally and internationally from anyone seeking to view this horrific abuse material."
"We are working tirelessly to protect these children and bring the offenders to justice."
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