An Australian man returning from the Philippines has been charged with child sex offences.
The 59-year-old from Lurnea in Sydney's southwest was selected by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers on Friday for a baggage examination after arriving at Sydney Airport.
Officers allegedly found conversations about child abuse as well as child abuse material on the man's phone and alerted the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
The man allegedly admitted engaging in the conversations, was arrested and refused bail.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Nicole Kenny said the AFP remained committed to protecting children.
“Anyone who views this material is committing a crime,’’ she said in a statement on Sunday.
“Whether the victim is in Australia or overseas - the AFP and its partners will work to keep our society's most vulnerable - our children - safe from anyone who seeks to do them harm.
“Our message to online offenders has not changed - if you procure, access and transmit child abuse material, you will be found, arrested and prosecuted.”
ABF Acting Superintendent Michael Mahony said ABF officers played a critical role at the border to protect the community, which included detecting and stopping the importation of illegal and abhorrent digital material featuring child victims both within Australia and abroad.
“We are dedicated to ensuring people seeking to deliberately import child abuse material into Australia are caught and will face the full consequences of their actions," he said.
The man appeared in Parramatta Local Court on Sunday and faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted.
The investigation remains ongoing.
