Ex- MP’s son faces child exploitation charges

Charged for exploitation offences

ONE of two Tasmanian men arrested in a national child exploitation sting is the son of a former Liberal leader and senior government minister.

Bradley Maxwell Hidding, 44, from Riverside, has been charged with child exploitation offences and is the son of Rene Hidding.

ONE of two Tasmanian men arrested in national child exploitation sting Operation Molto is the son of a former Liberal leader and senior government minister.

The Mercury can reveal that Bradley Maxwell Hidding, 44, from Riverside, who has been charged with child exploitation offences, is the son of former Tasmanian police minister Rene Hidding.

Court documents show Bradley Hidding has been charged with possessing child exploitation material, possessing bestiality products and three counts of possessing child abuse material accessed using a carriage service.

Mr Hidding was charged in April and is one of 44 men being prosecuted as a result of the Australian Federal Police operation.

Operation Molto was announced by the AFP last week, but arrests and charges against the 44 alleged offenders have been taking place for months.

A second man from southern Tasmania is expected to receive a summons in relation to the investigation.

Mr Hidding has not yet entered pleas to charges against him. Police have alleged the prohibited materials were found on his Samsung phone or a data storage service, a Samsung Galaxy tablet and a Buffalo MiniStation hard drive on or about April 30 this year.

Mr Hidding has appeared in the Launceston Magistrates Court several times from June onwards, represented by Evan Hughes, of Rae and Partners, and is on bail.

He will appear next on November 10.

Mr Hidding’s politician father and Liberal MP for Lyons retired from politics in February last year. At the time, he was the minister of infrastructure, police and emergency management.