悉尼 A man in Western Australia has been charged with more than 400 sexual offenses against children in what police are calling one of the most significant child abuse investigations in the state’s history.
The 47-year-old man from the Australian city of Perth faces numerous charges, 包含 240 counts of indecent dealing with a child under 13 年份, 98 counts of indecently recording a child under 13 年份, 和 44 counts of sexual penetration of a child under 13 年份, 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, 根据声明.
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 受害人 — including both boys and girls — who had been subject to sexual abuse, 根据声明. The offending allegedly took place between 2015 和 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, 根据CNN联盟会员 9 新闻.
根据 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.
