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Hervey Bay, Qld man charged during Operation Arkstone sentenced
The man is the first Queenslander to be sentenced for his role in a national child sex abuse ring that officers busted last year.
Ellen Ransley
August 27, 2021 - 10:31AM
NCA NewsWire
A Queensland man involved in a national child abuse network has been sentenced to 18 months behind bars.
The 37-year-old Hervey Bay man is the first Queenslander to be charged as part of Operation Arkstone, an AFP investigation that resulted in the arrest of 20 men on 1297 offences last year.
Authorities estimate the operation saved 55 child victims in Australia from further harm and abuse.
Operation Arkstone resulted in the arrest of 20 men, and saved more than 50 children.
The man, sentenced on Thursday, faced court on multiple child abuse offences, including producing child abuse material, using a carriage service to transmit and possess child abuse material and a bestiality offence.
During a search warrant on the man’s home last May, AFP officers and forensic specialists found 23 videos containing child abuse material on his devices.
AFP Federal Agent Alexander Evans said authorities were “determined and passionate” about taking down child sex offenders. We (follow) every lead to identify alleged child sex offenders and ensure the safety of every child in our community from such abhorrent abuse,” he said.
“No child should ever experience the horrific acts depicted in the videos and images that we as child protection investigators have to examine each and every day.”
The Hervey Bay man will only serve an additional four months before he is released.
'Like I'm being raped all over again,' child porn survivor tells court
Three women shared with the court the long-term impacts child pornography
has had on them and their children
Author of the article:Heather Polischuk
Publishing date:Aug 26, 2021 • 2 hours ago
Court of Queen's Bench in Regina. PHOTO BY MICHAEL BELL /Regina Leader-Post
“Lily” has never stopped being victimized by child pornography.
As a child, she was sexually abused by her stepfather, the acts recorded and shared online.
Although Lily is now an adult with children of her own, she continues to suffer from more than just the psychological impacts of her abuse.
“Some of these perverts have contacted me,” she said. “I’ve received emails suggesting making porn with these strangers. One has stalked me and another created a slideshow of me on YouTube …
“I feel totally out of control. They’re trading around my trauma like treats at a party. It feels like I’m being raped all over again.”
Lily was one of three women to provide a victim impact statement for a court proceeding to determine whether a convicted sex offender and child porn user might be deemed a dangerous offender.
Sentenced 13 years ago for sexually abusing a young girl and sharing the images online, James S. Millie has since pleaded guilty to non-“hands-on” child porn offences which came to light during a 2019 investigation. The convictions spurred the Crown to launch dangerous offender (DO) proceedings against him.
But first, the Crown has a hurdle to overcome. While hands-on sex offences are considered “serious personal injury offences” (SPIO) — a requirement for a DO finding — Queen’s Bench Justice Catherine Dawson needs convincing that child porn offences in which the user didn’t physically touch a victim should count as such.
Crown prosecutor Roger DeCorby laid out his case on Thursday, which included video-recorded victim impact statements from the women — Lily (not her real name) and two mothers whose children were victims of child pornography.
Victims in all three cases were among those whose images were in Millie’s possession.
“The offences don’t get committed in a vacuum,” DeCorby argued. While he said not all child pornography offences without a hands-on element should count as SPIOs, he pointed to existing case law in arguing that some should.
Dawson is expected to give her decision on the SPIO issue on Sept. 22. If she decides a DO finding is a possibility, a full hearing will be held at a later date.
DeCorby referred to ongoing trauma and psychological damage caused to victims of child porn who are helpless to prevent images of their abuse from circulating online. He bolstered his position through the victim impact statements, with each woman speaking of the severe impact to themselves and their families.
“Each time someone views this abuse, they re-abuse my children,” said one woman, identified only as Mother Skylar. “Pornography is not a victimless crime.”
Victims should give the social media platform one chance to remove their photos, and then have the right to sue if their image reappears.
Mother Skylar has two children who were victimized and said they go to therapy at least once a week. She tries to teach them these images don’t define who they are but still bears witness to the shame they feel.
She, like Mother Pia and Lily, has lost trust in the world and the people around her and her children. Mother Skylar described one of her daughters as a girl who loves to sing. But when the girl stood in front of a school audience and saw the parents’ cameras come out, she froze.
“I need them to be able to separate themselves from the abuse that happened, but the videos and the pictures being out there and seen on a daily basis will constantly remind them of the abuse they had as children,” she said.
Mother Pia said her daughter has expressed a desire to change her appearance to make it harder for predators to recognize her. Once carefree, she is now afraid to go outside.
Speaking directly to Millie, Mother Pia said: “I want to make it clear to you that my child is not a sexual object or your toy … Being a mom is all I have ever dreamed of. What I didn’t ever dream of is her life being crushed by this horrendous crime.”
Lily said she fears for her children, particularly in light of ongoing attention paid to her by pedophiles who’ve viewed her image online.
“I live every day with the horrible knowledge that many people somewhere are watching the most terrifying moments of my life and taking grotesque pleasure in them …,” she said. “Unlike other forms of exploitation, this one is never-ending.”
Ottawa man charged with luring, sexually assaulting 2 minors
CBC News ·
| Last Updated: 5 hours ago
An Ottawa man faces numerous charges for allegedly luring two minors over social media and sexually assaulting them.
Ottawa police said they were notified by Gatineau police earlier this month about a man who allegedly lured a girl and sexually assaulted her.
While investigating, officers identified a second victim who was also under the age of 16. The investigation also involved the RCMP and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
Branden Barr, 30, was arrested by Ontario Provincial Police Wednesday and charged with two counts each of sexual assault on a person under the age of 16, sexual interference with a person under the age of 16 and invitation to sexual touching of someone under the age of 16.
He is also charged with four counts of luring a person under the age of 16 by means of telecommunication, plus other charges of child luring and possession of child pornography.
Police said Barr, who CBC confirmed recently worked as a real estate agent in Ottawa, used various social media handles and also went by the name "Chris." They believe there could be other victims.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa police sexual assault and child abuse unit at 613-236-1222 ext. 5944 or email SACA@ottawapolice.ca.
Woman sold horrific sex abuse pictures of baby she was looking after
for £5,000
By Ryan Fahey News Reporter Connor Gordan
16:47, 26 Aug 2021UPDATED16:50, 26 Aug 2021
A paedophile sent indecent images of the toddler in her care to another pervert after he offered her £5,000, a court heard.
Abigail Kikke, 27, was snared with a disturbing haul of 69 child abuse images on her phone when police stormed a home in Condorrat, Cumbernauld, in central Scotland in March 2020.
The girl in 11 of the pictures and videos was a two-year-old toddler she was supposed to be looking after, Glasgow Live reports.
Kikke was in regular contact with other online paedophiles who asked her to perform vile sex acts on the infant.
One user, who called himself "Daddy", said he was a successful stock trader and that he would pay her £4,000 for the sick images.
The 27-year-old pled guilty today at Glasgow's High Court to sexual assault of a minor and distributing images of the youngster and the other children.
She was also convicted of taking or permitting indecent images to be taken of minors, and possession of indecent photographs.
Police intelligence shared with the court revealed how Kikke used one social network app to distribute images of the two-year-old.
A video, almost two minutes long, of the little girl and Kikke was recovered by police who tracked her down through her IP address.
Cops stormed a home while the baby was asleep in the cot and seized several devices.
The electronics revealed a massive collection of obscene images involving children, some of which Kikke had attempted to delete. They were all created during an eight-day period in March 2020.
After inspecting the devices, police found an extended version of the clip originally spotted by cops on the social network.
The child's uncle and others in court let out audible gasps as the evidence was read out.
Prosecutor Shanti Maguire told the court that Kikke sent one of the images to an internet user who called himself "Daddy".
The images other than those of the girl in her care showed other kids as young as three with an upper age of around 14.
Another internet user, known as "Hollow", asked her to perform sex acts on the girl, the court heard today.
Miss Maguire added: “She told 'Hollow' that she sent 'Daddy' images of her and the girl and that he was willing to pay her £4,000.
“Between March 22 and 23 she corresponded with a user she addressed as 'Daddy' at his request.
She continued: "He claimed he would send her £1,000 and in subsequent messages he claimed to be a successful stock trader who would take the woman and girl abroad on holiday.”
Kikke responded by sending pictures of the girl in a nappy and another indecent image.
Another man she was in contact with, Gary Smith, 43, of Wigan, has since been convicted of several sex offences. One of them arose from contact with Kikke.
The pair discussed kids before Smith admitted to being "sexually aroused".
Smith sent an image of a little boy and girl together, and she responded with one of the little girl she was watching.
Miss Maguire added: “The user has been identified as 43-year-old man Gary Smith, who lived in Wigan. He has since been convicted at Bolton Crown Court of sexual offences including ones arising from his conversation with Kikke.
“He was sentenced to six months for distribution of images and attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence which he received 32 months imprisonment.”
Kikke's defence lawyer, Ronnie Renucci QC, said his client appreciates imprisonment is "inevitable".
He added: “These offences took place at a black point in her life.”
Kikke will be sentenced in October as background reports are prepared by Judge Lord Sandison.
She showed no emotion as she was remanded back into custody, reports say.
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