The Victorian government will double the maximum prison sentence for sex fiends convicted of accessing child pornography, while three new offence categories will on Tuesday be introduced to stop the promotion and circulation of sexual content involving minors.
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Attorney-General Martin Pakula said the tougher penalties and new laws are a response to widespread internet access and advances in technology that had rapidly expanded the online distribution of child pornography.
Those found guilty of possessing child porn now face a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, while changes to the Crimes Act will make it an offence to:
- Administer a child pornography website
- Encourage use of a website to deal with child pornography
- Provide assistance to another person about avoiding apprehension for a child pornography offence
"The new legislation sends a clear message to anyone considering committing these child pornography offences that the internet is no longer an anonymous domain for their abhorrent crimes," Mr Pakula said.
He said the Victorian government is responding to the global proliferation of child pornography, and the significant challenges posed to law enforcement agencies, particularly in south-east Asia.
The reforms will also allow prosecutors in child sex cases to use a sample of evidence during court trials, rather than requiring police, lawyers and judges to view an entire collection of child porn, which can be traumatic for investigators.
Magistrates will also be given the power to issue search warrants that enable police to direct a person to provide access to evidence that is held on a computer, including compelling the owner of the computer to hand over a password.
The new laws introduced into parliament today follow the court appearance last week of a 22-year-old man from South Morang, who is facing 88 child porn charges, including "encouraging" and advising on the abduction, rape and killing of a 5-year-old girl in Russia.
Matthew David Graham was arrested in a joint Victoria Police/FBI sting last year, and is allegedly a member of an online paedophile ring on secret "dark web" sites specialising in torture and grotesque sexual acts involving children, toddlers and babies.
Mr Graham faces a further charge of allegedly "impeding the apprehension" of another Melbourne man "he believed was sexually penetrating a child and soliciting that child for child pornography".
