13 men charged after ‘abhorrent’ child abuse material found

MELBOURNE: Thirteen men, including a deputy school principal, have been charged after raids across Victoria that allegedly uncovered ‘‘abhorrent’’ and ‘‘disgusting’’ child abuse material featuring victims as young as newborns.

Victoria Police and the Australia Federal Police raided homes across 19 suburbs and one country town over several days last month in the major joint operation.

They discovered thousands of videos and images of child abuse material, child sex dolls, weapons, illegal fireworks and drugs.

‘‘The material that we’re talking about here that’s been seized relates to images of children as young as newborn children to the age of 17 years,’’ Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said yesterday.

‘‘It involves them in sexually provocative poses, it involves them being subject to violence, it involves them being in degraded acts and it also involves torture.

‘‘This is horrendous. To view this material, to make this material, to share this material — it’s abhorrent, it’s offensive and it’s disgusting.’’

Thirteen men, aged 19 to 62, have been charged and another two are expected to be charged on summons.

All those charged have been bailed, including St John’s Regional College deputy principal Quentin Paul Smith. The 48yearold from Richmond has been charged with accessing and possessing child abuse material as well as drug possession. He will reappear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 7 and has been suspended from teaching.

The 13 alleged paedophiles could be facing up to 10 years in jail.— AAP