Tip-offs from Instagram and Facebook have led police to a Canberra caravan where they seized alleged child pornography material and charged the owner, a court has heard.
Ernest Henry Yardley, 33, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday on five charges of possessing child exploitation material after Instagram and Facebook reported him to police.
Court documents revealed police discovered illegal material allegedly being sent by Mr Yardley to another Instagram user, as well as requests for material on Facebook to a user believed to be overseas.
Facebook and Instagram identified the private messages and directly tipped off the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
The Australian Federal Police received the report and investigated, allegedly using Mr Yardley's social media accounts to track down his address in the south Canberra suburb of Gilmore.
Police said that during a search of a caravan and a lounge room at the address, officers found items including a mobile phone, a hard-drive in a dressing gown pocket, and a laptop with a storage card.
They said they found child exploitation material on five electronic devices, including his phone.
Mr Yardley told police he had looked at pornography, but did not know how the material featuring children got onto his phone.
The court heard that at one point Mr Yardley asked to go inside the van, where he collected his passport and cash, later taken by police.
The court also heard Mr Yardley was socially isolated and suffered several mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder.
He was granted bail and will return to court later in February.
