Twenty Victorian men arrested for ‘abhorrent’ child porn

Twenty men have been arrested in Victoria following statewide raids targeting ‘abhorrent crimes against children’.

The raids, conducted over several days in March by investigators from Victoria Police and the AFP, resulted in charges against 12 men for possessing, accessing and sending child exploitation material and child pornography.

The men, from across the state, are aged from 19 to 62.

Three men from Heathcote, Hughesdale and Mulgrave are also expected to be charged on summons.

The anti-child exploitation team revealed this week more than 4million files containing images of child abuse are shared online every month within Victoria.

Police said they believe the number could be higher because a single file may contain hundreds more, according to The Age.   

Officers seized a number of items from the 20 raided properties, including child sex dolls, computers, tablets, phones, a samurai sword, illegal fireworks and drugs.

Investigators swooped on the men before their crimes potentially escalated to contact with children, Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said.

‘There is clear evidence that child exploitation material is sometimes used for grooming and seducing victims,’ he said in a statement on Wednesday.

‘Part of this operation was focused on establishing whether any of those arrested had moved from online offences to contact offending, and if there were any children currently at risk or who could be identified as victims of a sexual assault.’

Mr Patton said child exploitation images and online child sexual offences were some of the fastest growing crimes across the world, fuelled by rapidly advancing technology.

‘These are not simply online choices made for sexual gratification – they are abhorrent crimes against children, the most vulnerable people in our community,’ he said.

Mr Patton is expected to address the media on Wednesday morning.