Australian man charged with committing over 400 child sex crimes

A Perth man faces hundreds of charges of child sexual abuse. Sydney (CNN) — A man in Western Australia has been charged with more than 400 child sex offenses in what police are calling one of the largest child abuse investigations in the state’s history. The 47-year-old from Perth faces 240 counts of indecent treatment of a child under 13, 98 counts of indecently recording a child under 13 and 44 counts of sexual penetration of a child under 13, he said. Western Australia police in a statement. Wednesday. He also faces 26 counts of possession and five counts of production of child exploitation material. The charges follow a months-long investigation sparked by a tip in July of last year. Searches were conducted at the man’s home and workplace, during which several electronic storage devices were seized, police said. Following a digital forensic examination, authorities identified approximately 3.8 million images and videos considered child exploitation material. Police said detectives identified 24 boys and girls who had been sexually abused. The abuse allegedly took place between 2015 and 2021. “This investigation is one of the largest child abuse investigations ever conducted in Western Australia in terms of how many images were located and how many victims we will allege have been abused,” said Detective Hamish McKenzie. , according to CNN affiliate 9 News. The 9 News report said the boys were between the ages of 3 and 13, and police believe the man knew the victims through family and friends. The man is due to appear at the Perth Magistrate’s Court later this month.