Hundreds charged, 51 children rescued as part of international child sex abuse operation
Hundreds of men, including some allegedly in law enforcement, have been charged as part of a global child sex abuse crackdown.
Fifty-one children have been removed from harm across Australia, with 117 men – some as young as 18 – charged with 1248 child abuse offences as the result of a two-year global sting.
It is alleged some of the offenders charged in Australia worked in law enforcement.
Known globally as Operation H, a multinational effort began in 2019 after the discovery by New Zealand authorities of a cloud storage platform where thousands of alleged offenders were sharing abhorrent child abuse material online.
Through the operation, 153 children have been removed from harm – including 79 in the United Kingdom, 51 in Australia, 12 in Canada, six in New Zealand, four in the US and one child in Europe.
In Australia, Operation Molto involved police from every state and territory.
Some of the men charged are alleged to have been in possession of “the most abhorrent” child abuse material ever produced. The material was allegedly circulated among an international organised paedophile syndicate that was later dismantled following an Australian arrest in 2015.
Police will allege some of the men charged under Operation Molto produced their own child abuse material online.
The alleged offenders are between 18 and 61 years old and work in a range of industries, including law enforcement, hospitality, transport and construction.
In Queensland, 55 alleged offenders are facing 466 charges, with 16 children removed from harm in the state.
In Victoria, 18 alleged offenders are facing 370 charges. Eight children have been removed form harm.
In NSW, 17 men have been charged with 96 offences and three children have been removed from harm.
South Australia Police have charged 12 men with 232 charges and removed 10 children from harm.
Eight alleged offenders are facing nine charges in WA, but state police have not removed any children from harm.
In Tasmania, three men are facing 54 charges, and two children have been removed from harm.
Two men are facing 16 charges in the Northern Territory, with no children removed.
And in the ACT, three men are facing 48 charges and five children have been removed from harm.
“Viewing, distributing or producing child abuse material is a horrific crime. Children are not commodities and the AFP and its partner agencies work around the clock to identify and prosecute offenders,” Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Lesa Gale said.
“The success of Operation Molto demonstrates the importance of partnerships for law enforcement at a national level here in Australia but also at an international level, with our colleagues in New Zealand and around the world.”
Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty from NSW Police praised the national and international co-operation of the operation.
“This shows what can be achieved when all agencies work together for a good cause – and there’s no better cause than protecting our children,” she said.
“The NSWPF is proud to play a part in such a positive outcome and will continue to work with our partners, domestically and internationally, to ensure our kids grow up in a safe environment.”
https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/hundreds-charged-51-children-rescued-as-part-of-international-child-sex-abuse-operation/news-story/e6bb6e5ce5fd00cb76fcc0e829520610