A man who actively targeted children on social media and gaming platforms has been charged with hundreds of child-abuse-related offenses against 459 victims in Australia and 15 other countries, Queensland police have reported.
The 27-year-old, who has been in custody since last February, faces charges for 596 offenses after police discovered over 23,000 videos and images of the alleged abuse on his devices.
Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Denzil Clark noted that the sheer volume of material necessitated extensive time and effort to identify the victims. So far, 360 victims have been identified, with investigations still ongoing.
More than 200 of the victims are from Australia, while the remainder are located overseas, predominantly in English-speaking nations. Most of the victims are boys aged 7 to 15.
Police are collaborating with international partners to ensure victim identification and support services are in place. Clark warned of an increasing prevalence of children being groomed, coerced, or threatened into taking and sending sexual images of themselves, often through popular apps, games, and social media sites.
He stressed that the trauma inflicted upon the children is profound. The accused allegedly operated from 2018 to 2025, creating multiple online personas, both male and female, to engage with children.
Among the charges are 244 counts of producing child abuse material through a carriage service, 163 counts of using a carriage service to procure individuals under 16, and 87 counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child using a carriage service. The accused is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
