Wa Children Removed from Harm and Offenders Charged As Part of International Child Sex Abuse Ring

ABC News
November 14, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-15/wa-child-porn-charges/5095014?section=wa


Two teachers, a police officer and minister of religion are the four West Australians charged as part of an international child sexual abuse ring.

For the past four months, police officers around the world have been executing search warrants and making arrests. including five from Western Australia.

Globally 386 children have been removed from situations where they were used to create images of child sexual abuse.

WA Police have confirmed a 72-year-old ex Minister of Religion from Beechboro, a 30-year-old police officer and a 46-year-old teacher from Warwick have each been charged with one count of Possessing Child Exploitation Material.

The police officer and teacher have each resigned following the charges being laid.

The former police officer appeared in court today.

He was caught with more than 20-thousand child pornography images and videos.

Lynton Moore,30, was a serving officer when police raided his Beechboro home in June.

He will be sentenced next week and he has been told to expect a jail term.

A 30-year-old teacher from the Goldfields-Esperance area has been charged with 54 counts of Indecent Dealing with a Child under 13 years and 47 counts of Indecently Record Child under 13 years.

He was sacked after the charges were laid.

More than 100 charges have been laid against the WA men.

Detective Senior Sergeant Simon Hubbard from the WA Police Child Abuse Squad said it was likely ongoing investigations would result in further charges.

"The charges that we have are relating to, the majority of them are for possession, so they have purchased the material and in relation the teacher from the Goldfields-Esperance, he has also been charged with recording."

Australian Federal Police have also charged two 58-year-old men, one from Balga and one from Edgewater, with possessing child exploitation material, importing objectionable material and using a carriage service to access child exploitation material.

Nationally more than 60 people are facing about 400 child exploitation offences.

Police say more charges may be laid once computers seized in raids have been analysed.

The national co-ordinator of child protection operations for the Australian Federal Police, Todd Hunter, said children removed from harm internationally were aged from five to 15 years.

He said further details on those removed in WA would not be released to protect their identity.

"No doubt at some point in time when the alleged offender comes before court and the facts are made known in court, then those details may become public," he said.

"In saying that, obviously the court tries also as we do to protect victims and doesn't want to revictimise them either."

He says all of the children are now in good care and safe from further exploitation. Most are with their own parents or guardians.

"What's been achieved is clearly an outstanding effort by our officers, our Western Australian colleagues as well as our international and global partners to bring to justice over 340 offenders worldwide, and more importantly remove these 386 children from harm," Detective Superintendent Hunter said.