Riverina man granted conditional bail over allegedly accessing child abuse material

A 69-year-old Albury man was arrested early Tuesday (8 August) morning at a home in Wagga for allegedly accessing child abuse material. Photo: NSW Police.

A Riverina man has been granted conditional bail following an investigation by the State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad into the alleged access of child abuse material.

The man faced Wagga Wagga Local Court on Wednesday (9 August), charged with using a carriage service to access child abuse material.

Magistrate Rebecca Hosking granted the 69-year-old bail on the condition that he must not enter any international airport or other points of departure from Australia and must relinquish his passport to Wagga Wagga Police within 24 hours of release.

The accused must also live in Albury and must have his access to the internet limited to one mobile phone; his number and pin must be provided to police and he must give police access on request.

Police said detectives from the Sex Crimes Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) commenced an investigation last month after a man allegedly utilised a peer-to-peer file-sharing application to access child abuse material online.

Following investigations, detectives from Strike Force Trident attended a home in Wagga Wagga, where they arrested the man at about 7 am on 8 August.

The Sex Crimes Squad comprises a number of investigative teams who lead investigations into adult sex offenders, including the Child Exploitation Internet Unit, Child Protection Register, and Extended Supervision Order teams.

Strike Force Trawler is an ongoing investigation by the CEIU into the sexual exploitation of children facilitated through the internet and related telecommunications devices. Regular covert online investigations are conducted by the CEIU, and police in NSW work closely with their law enforcement colleagues interstate and overseas.

Strike Force Trident is another ongoing investigation by the CEIU, relating to persons using peer-to-peer technology and applications to disseminate and exchange child abuse material online.

Anyone with information about the dissemination of child abuse material online is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Crime Stoppers online. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.