Man, 18, who allegedly ‘traded and sold child exploitation material as a teenager’ granted bail by Perth court

A young Perth man accused of “trading and selling” child exploitation material when he was a teenager has been granted bail. Officers from the Australian Federal Police and WA Police searched the now 18-year-old’s family home when he was 17 after investigators were alerted to his alleged online behaviour by the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Police from the WA joint anti child exploitation team allege he committed multiple online child abuse offences when he was 16 and 17- years-old. An AFP spokesperson said investigators uncovered child abuse material on his mobile phone, before he was summonsed to appear in the Perth Children’s Court on 11 charges. “They also allegedly found stored records of online conversations with other users involving the trade and purchase of child abuse material, as well as the sharing of links to websites that contained exploitative content of children,” the spokesperson said. The man was granted bail on a $5000 personal undertaking with conditions following his first court appearance on Friday. AFP Inspector Shona Davis said children could also be involved in the exploitation of other children. “We urge parents and carers to take an interest in what their children are doing online, talk to them about what sites they’re accessing and who they’re communicating with,” Insp. Davis said. “Anyone who views material depicting the exploitation or abuse of children is committing a crime and the AFP and its partners are working tirelessly to combat this crime.” The man’s next court appearance is listed for September 15.