AFP and South Australia Police Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team arrests six SA men in six days for alleged child sexual exploitation in National Child Protection Week operation

This is a joint Australian Federal Police and South Australia Police media release.

The arrests were made between 6-11 September as part of a National Child Protection Week operation. They followed separate investigations by the South Australian Joint Anti Child Exploitation (SA JACET) team, which comprises the AFP and South Australia Police.

The investigations were sparked by reports from national and international law enforcement agencies.

AFP Detective Sergeant Jarrod Cook said the AFP and its domestic and global law enforcement partners were committed to stopping online child sexual abuse.

“Unfortunately, with the prevalence of children and young people accessing the internet, online safety is becoming an increasing concern around the world,” Det Sgt Cook said.

“The AFP and its partners work tirelessly, sharing intelligence and all available tools to arrest alleged offenders and make it harder for predators to target children.

“Since its formation a decade ago, investigations by the SA JACET team have led to more than 370 child victims, including toddlers, being identified and removed from further harm in Australia, the United Kingdom, United States and Southeast Asia.

“This has been through the dedication and tenacity of the SA JACET team and its work with Australian and international law enforcement agencies.”

Detective Sergeant Cook said SA JACET investigators trawled through hundreds of thousands of confronting images each year to identify and pursue online sexual predators and remove children from harm.

“It is confronting and horrific work, but our investigators know their efforts are critical to safeguard our vulnerable young people,” Det Sgt Cook said.

“We issue this warning to any person who would seek to prey on children: The SA JACET team will use the full force of the law to find, expose and prosecute you – no matter when or where the abuse occurred. There is nowhere for you to hide.

“The AFP and its law enforcement partners will never stop fighting to bring online predators to justice and protect children from these horrific crimes.”

South Australia Police Chief Inspector George Fenwick encouraged parents to have important conversations with their children during National Child Protection Week.

“Talk to them about what unsafe or inappropriate behaviour might look and feel like at home, in the community, online or at school – and make plans about what to do if they feel unsafe. Understand what children are doing online,” C/Insp Fenwick said.

“Be aware of the manner in which offenders initially engage with children. Inappropriate engagement with children and grooming behaviour can be initiated through online gaming platforms. Offenders can pose as someone they are not on these platforms, where they make contact with children before encouraging them to move to another platform for private interactions.

“While children and parents may feel a gaming platform is a safe place, predators often lurk in these environments.”

Chief Inspector Fenwick said if children experienced strange conversations or requests to share images that did not seem appropriate, they should be encouraged to speak to an adult.

“SAPOL continues to engage with law enforcement partners to identify those who engage in the production and sharing of online child sexual abuse material.

“Constant technological advancements enable law enforcement to identify victims and offenders online, providing greater opportunities to rescue children from harm and put those responsible before the court.

“Regardless of where those who prey on our most vulnerable choose to engage in their faceless online activities, police will find them and hold them to account.”

SA JACET arrests during National Child Protection Week 2025

• A Gawler East man, 34, was charged on Saturday, 6 September, 2025 with three counts of online child abuse offences and one count of maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child. The man appeared in Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Monday, 8 September, 2025. He was remanded in custody to reappear in court on 13^th January 2026.
• An Adelaide man, 34, was charged on Monday, 8 September, 2025 with four counts of online child sexual abuse offences, involving the possession and dissemination of child abuse material. He appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on 8 September, 2025 and was remanded in custody to reappear on 15^th December 2025.
• A Flagstaff Hill man, 63, was charged on Tuesday, 9 September, 2025, with three counts of online child abuse offences involving the dissemination and production of online child exploitation material. The man appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 10 September, 2025 and was remanded in custody to reappear in court on 13 January 2026.
• A Ferryden Park man, 18, was charged with six counts of online child abuse offences and one count of council, procure and cause harm. The man appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 10 September, 2025. He was remanded in custody and is due to reappear in court on 18 September 2025.
• A Happy Valley man, 25, was charged with one count of online child abuse offences including using a carriage service to possess child abuse material and the dissemination of child abuse material. He appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday, 11 September, 2025. He was bailed to reappear in court on 31^st October 2025.
• A Gawler East man, 60, was charged with three counts of online child abuse offences, involving the possession of child abuse material. He was granted police bail to appear at the Elizabeth Magistrates court on 22 October 2025.

The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is driving a collaborative national approach.

The ACCCE brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into online child sexual exploitation and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.

Members of the public who have information about people involved in child abuse are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now, or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.

If you, or someone you know, is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available.

Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found at the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.

For more information on the role of the ACCCE, what online child sexual exploitation is and how to report it, visit the ACCCE website.

Editor’s Note: Video grabs and arrest vision available via - SA JACET NCPW 2025

Note to media

Use of term 'CHILD ABUSE' MATERIAL not ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’

The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.

Use of the phrase ‘child pornography’ is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:

• indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and
• conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.

Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.