Seven children have been rescued from abusive and exploitative environments following the arrest of an Australian man for a sweep of serious alleged drug and child sex abuse offences.
Queensland Police arrested the 31-year-old Kippa Ring man from Brisbane’s outer Moreton Bay district on December 7, 2024, setting in motion an investigation that would stretch across southeast Queensland and the Philippines.
“Investigations led police to execute a search warrant on a Kippa Ring home on December 7, 2024, where they seized several digital devices for forensic examination,” the police said on Monday.
“The man was initially charged on December 8 with three counts of possessing child exploitation material and one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence.
“Through further examination of the devices, police allegedly located child exploitation material featuring a number of unidentified child victims.”
The police have now charged the man with 28 alleged drug and child sex abuse crimes, including six counts of supplying dangerous drugs, five counts of using the internet to procure children under 16, four counts of grooming a child under 16 years or parent or carer of a child under 16 years, facilitate procurement of child to engage in sexual act, four counts of indecent treatment of child under 12 with impairment of the mind, two counts of distributing child exploitation material and one count each of contravening order about information necessary to access information stored electronically, possessing child exploitation material and using internet to procure children under 12.
He has been remanded in custody and will appear at Redcliffe Magistrates Court on May 1.
The police collaborated with Argos victim identification specialists to identify and locate the man’s alleged victims.
“Two child victims were identified to be in southeast Queensland and police have made contact with and are supporting those children,” the police said.
“An additional two child victims were identified to be in the Philippines.
“Queensland Police Service engaged the Australian Federal Police representatives to work with the Philippine National Police to locate and rescue two children, and an associated three others, from abusive environments.
“Five children, four girls and one boy, were rescued by the PNP on February 20, 2025.
“Investigations into their situations will continue locally under the PNP.”
Moreton District Detective Inspector Phil Hurst thanked the Child Protection Investigation Unit detectives for their work in a “complex and lengthy” investigation.
“I thank the CPIU detectives for their tenacity in going to lengths to ensure the victims were identified and, in some cases, rescued from harm,” he said.
“This shows that we will investigate all reports of harm against children both locally and even if it leads us overseas.”
