A NSW Police officer searches a car during Operation Titan. Photo: Australian Federal Police.
A Moss Vale man was among a suite of arrests in relation to online child abuse offences made by the Australian Federal Police in a two-week blitz.
The AFP executed 15 search warrants and charged nine people with more than 30 online child abuse offences with assistance from the NSW Police Force (NSWPF) and the Australian Border Force (ABF).
Operation Titan followed an increase in reports of child abuse material made to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.
In the 2024-2025 financial year, more than 82,700 incidents of child exploitation were reported, a 41 per cent rise from the previous financial year, a spokesperson from the AFP said.
A Moss Vale man, 35, was charged on 28 August, 2025, with one count of using a carriage service to transmit indecent communications to a person under 16, contrary to section 474.27A of the Criminal Code.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.
It’s alleged the man engaged in online sexualised conversations with two female minors based in the Philippines.
Four electronic devices were seized during a search warrant.
He was granted police bail to appear before Moss Vale Local Court on Tuesday (16 September).
The AFP spokesperson said the most significant arrest involved a Wyongah man, who allegedly paid for live online child sexual abuse involving minors offshore on three occasions.
More than 50 electronic devices, including phones, laptops, USBs and hard drives, have been seized by police and will be subject to further forensic examination.
None of the individuals charged currently hold employment positions with access to children.
AFP Commander Brett James said creating, possessing and sharing child abuse material left victims with lifelong trauma.
“Perpetrators are indifferent to the harm they cause victims and are only motivated by their abhorrent desires,” Commander James said.
“Our message to online offenders has not changed – if you commit these crimes, you will be found, arrested and prosecuted.
“Law enforcement agencies around Australia have an essential focus on protecting children and work to find and apprehend those who seek to exploit them or contribute to the wider exploitation of children around the world by creating a demand for this abuse material.
“I am extremely proud of the work of our investigators, as well as our colleagues at NSW Police Force and ABF, who we work together with every day to ultimately protect the most vulnerable people in our communities.”
