New South Wales police say detectives have charged four men from Sydney suburbs over their alleged roles in an international online network that shared child sexual abuse material featuring symbols linked to Satanism and the occult. Detectives executed six search warrants in Waterloo, Ultimo and Malabar on November 27, seizing multiple electronic devices. Officers say they found thousands of videos showing children from infancy to about 12 years old.
Jayne Doherty, head of the NSW police sex crimes squad, said the suspects were communicating and exchanging explicit child abuse material through a website administered overseas. Police allege the group shared content that depicted the sexual abuse and torture of children alongside rituals and symbols tied to satanic and occult themes.
Detectives say they identified the four Sydney-based men in November. A 26-year-old arrested at a Waterloo address is alleged to have played a leading role and was charged with multiple counts including making available, accessing and possessing child abuse material, among other offences. Three men arrested at a unit block in Malabar, aged 46, 42 and 39, were each charged with possession of child abuse material and additional offences.
All four were refused bail and are due to appear in court at a later date. NSW Police are examining the seized files to help identify victims both in Australia and internationally and are continuing inquiries into the wider network.