Police in Australia rescue 46 children after exposing global child sex abuse ring

Fourteen men, including former childcare worker, arrested over network with links to the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe and New Zealand

A USB drive seized as part of the investigation into a major child sex abuse ring in Australia (AP)

Police have rescued 46 children and made 14 arrests after exposing a global child sex abuse ring in Australia.

Men from New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, including a former childcare worker and children’s football coach, have been arrested for allegedly preying on victims aged 16 months to 15 years.

They have been charged with producing and sharing child abuse material through an online network in Australia and overseas, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.

The network has links to the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe and New Zealand, police added.

A total of 828 charges of sexually abusing children, producing and distributing child abuse material and bestiality have been brought against the men, in a case believed to be one of the biggest of its kind in Australia.  

Sixteen of the victims are said to have attended one childcare centre.

The investigation was sparked by a tip off from investigators in the United States, where three arrests have been made .

AFP Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough said: "No child should be subjected to abuse and violence from the people they trust, whether that is a family member, a childcare worker or a soccer coach.  

"Sadly and heartbreakingly, this has been the case for the victims.”

She added that 18 "matters" have been referred to police in the US, where the three men were arrested for multiple offences related to child abuse material.

Another 128 matters have been referred to authorities in Canada, Asia, Europe and New Zealand. Police have not elaborated on those allegations.

The US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a government-funded non-profit, made the initial tip in February that a man in New South Wales was uploading child abuse material, Asst Com Gough said.

Police arrested a 30-year-old man in Wyong, a town north of Sydney, and a search of his computer revealed he was part of social media forums.

The alleged ring used "the regular internet" as well as the dark web to share material, Asst Com Gough said.

She added: "It's a very, very large investigation that we've uncovered.”

US Homeland Security Investigations attache to Australia Adam Parks did not comment on the three arrests in the US because prosecutions were under way. There are several ongoing investigations in the country, he said.

He did not say where the initial tip to the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children came from, but he said such tips typically come from social media companies that report finding abusive material on their platforms.

He described the paedophile ring as a global network "rooted in Australia."

The arrests come weeks after authorities in Australia charged 44 men with possessing and producing child abuse material after a separate year-long investigation.

Additional reporting by agencies