A major child sex abuse ring has exposed in Australia with links to Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia and New Zealand.
In a shocking incident 14 men were allegedly arrested for carrying out more than 825 child sex abuse offences on 46 victims. Men from Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales have been charged with filming and sharing the abuse of 46 children aged between 16 months to 15 years. The accused range from 20 to 48 years including a childcare worker, a volunteer soccer coach, disability care worker, supermarket employee, a chef and an electrician.
“These men allegedly produced child abuse material for the depraved pleasure of their peers with absolutely no thought to the lasting effects their actions would have on these children,” said Christopher Woods, commander of AFP.
The 27-year-old childcare worker of New South Wales , the most serious suspect, allegedly had access to 30 children faced more than 300 charges, including sexual abuse. A tip-off from US investigators about an Australian internet user, led to a year-long investigation resulting in the arrest of a 30-year-old man in February. He was charged with 89 offences, including two children in the town of Wyong, north of Sydney.
“Each warrant led to the discovery of more alleged offenders and more children to be saved,” the AFP said in a statement on Wednesday. Adding that, arrests were being made since February with the latest on Friday.
Eight men from New South Wales have been charged with 577 offences against 39 children. With one child victim identified, three men were slapped with 30 charges in Queensland while another three men with six child victims identified in Western Australia were charged with 221 charges.
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