A Tasmanian man will spend the next two and a half years in prison after he was found with more than 22,000 child abuse files.
The 37-year-old Huonville man was identified by the United States National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children after uploading child abuse material to the internet in 2019.
Following a joint AFP and Tasmania Police investigation, the man’s home in Huonville was searched in October 2019.
During the search, investigators discovered more than two million files, which included around 22,000 instances of child abuse material.
AFP Detective Sergeant Aaron Hardcastle said anyone who views this material is committing a crime.
“Our message to online offenders has not changed – if you procure, access and transmit child abuse material, you will be found, arrested and prosecuted,” Hardcastle said.
“This is not a victimless crime. Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators.”
“The officers involved in this investigation worked tirelessly to protect children and bring perpetrators before the courts.”
In a Supreme Court appearance in Hobart this week, the man was found guilty of having and accessing child abuse material online, along with possessing materials related to child exploitation.
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