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March 22, 2005

Police launch child porn raids

March 22, 2005 [The Courier Mail]
By Glenis Green

AUSTRALIA - POLICE have recovered more than 250,000 child abuse images and charged 29 people as a result of a week-long operation targeting child pornography which culminated in a series of raids on homes on the Sunshine Coast yesterday.

As part of the ongoing fallout from the suspected abduction and murder of Palmwoods schoolboy Daniel Morcombe more than a year ago, raid targets were chosen in part because they lived near to where the 13-year-old was last seen.

One of the men arrested had 140,000 movie files on his computer which included images of penetrative sex involving boys aged from 10 to 15

Those charged ranged in age from 20 up to a man in his late 70s, but police said yesterday there was no proven link at this stage that anyone raided was connected with Daniel's disappearance.

Alleged offenders came from all walks of life, from the unemployed to labourers and tradesmen. Some were married, others single and some had children of their own.

In cases where those arrested had children, police said the matter had been referred for monitoring and the Department of Child Services had been advised.

However there was no evidence of offences against alleged offenders' children at this stage.

Unlike other recent raids, none of those targeted yesterday was working in an occupation involving contact with children.

State Crime Operations Command Detective Superintendent Ross Barnett, who was in charge of the operation codenamed Taskforce Argos, said 57 search warrants had been executed as part of the investigation over the past week on the Sunshine Coast, culminating in 26 warrants yesterday.

"Computer equipment seized at some addresses during the last week is still being examined and we anticipate as a result of that examination that further charges will be preferred," he said.

"These raids are part of a continuing statewide effort to combat child pornography.

"In addition to the prosecutions we hope that the work of the taskforce will have a deterrent effect and make people realise they should not be accessing or downloading child pornography."

Supt Barnett said of those arrested, 15 had been specifically charged with child pornography offences while the remainder were facing a variety of drugs, firearms and weapons charges.

"Of the 15 arrested for child pornography there were 31 offences of child pornography laid and we recovered more than 250,000 child pornography images," he said.

Taskforce Argos operations manager Acting Inspector Jon Rouse said the message was starting to get through to child abusers.

"Quite clearly one encouraging thing identified in this phase of the operation is that we probably dropped . . . from 75 per cent of arrests in Operation Auxin . . . down to 25-30 per cent," he said.

Police said there was no evidence at this stage that any of those arrested had produced the offensive material themselves.

Those charged had either been taken to the Maroochydore watchhouse for processing or given summonses to appear in court at a later date.

Acting Insp Rouse said normal precautions were being taken for the wellbeing of those charged in the wake of several suicides following previous operations "but once they get bail it's out of our hands".

Supt Barnett and Acting Insp Rouse said yesterday's raids were the last under current legislation in which lighter penalties of up to two years' jail would apply.

"If there's any warning in this, the next range of operations that will be conducted will probably have far more dire consequences in court . . . The penalty will now include up to five years' jail," Acting Insp Rouse said.

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