Australian police charge four Sydney men over an international satanic child abuse material ring, seizing thousands of ‘deplorable’ videos
SYDNEY: Australian police have charged four men in Sydney in relation to an international satanic child abuse material ring.
New South Wales state police said detectives were probing the ring when they identified the suspects.
The men are accused of possessing, distributing, and facilitating child abuse material through an internationally administered website.
Police arrested the four on Thursday, including a 26-year-old man accused of a leading role in the group.
He was charged with 14 offences, including using a carriage service to make available and access child abuse material.
The other three men, aged 39, 42, and 46, were arrested in a block of flats and charged with a string of related offences.
Sex Crimes Squad Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty said the nature of the material raised concerns about the men’s potential contact with children.
Police seized several electronic devices, allegedly finding thousands of “deplorable” abuse videos on children aged 5 to 12, as well as bestiality content.
Doherty noted the unfortunate increase in the sharing of such material.
She affirmed police would work to identify and rescue any child victims as soon as possible.
Authorities have not yet verified the material’s origin or identified children from the videos.
All four men were refused bail while awaiting their next court appearance. – AFP
