Warning: This story contains references to child sexual assault.

Nine individuals have been accused of online child exploitation crimes following a two-week collaborative effort by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and NSW Police.

Over 140 officials from the AFP and state police carried out search operations from late August to early September across Sydney, the Central Coast, and Wollongong.

None of the individuals charged are employed in positions with access to children.

The most severe accusation involves a 62-year-old man from Wyongah on the Central Coast, who allegedly paid a suspected child trafficker in the Philippines for live-streamed sexual abuse involving children and exchanged 200 messages.

He allegedly paid the trafficker for three video calls, which went for a duration of 56 minutes.

This individual is facing charges of engaging in sexual activity other than intercourse with a child abroad, accessing child abuse material using a carriage service, and receiving child abuse material via a carriage service.

The man appeared before Wyong Local Court on September 12 and was remanded in custody to appear in the same court in November.

He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment if found guilty. 

The remaining eight individuals apprehended are facing various charges, such as receiving child abuse material through a carriage service, possessing such material, and using a carriage service to share, distribute, or promote child abuse content.

If convicted, the alleged offenders could face between 10-15 years imprisonment.

In the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation recorded over 82,700 child exploitation reports, marking a 41 percent increase from the previous year.