A scout leader in the Queensland city of Ipswich exploited children to make indecent images and then shared it on the internet, the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) said.
The 30-year-old, whom the CCC said was “an active scout leader” from West Ipswich, was due to face court on Monday after an undercover sting led to more than 20 child exploitation charges being laid against him.
Among those, the man is accused of three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 years, along with 14 counts of making child exploitation material.
In a statement Scouts Queensland said it had immediately suspended the leader. The group would be cooperating with authorities investigating his alleged crimes, it said.
“As per our scouting rules and procedures, once we are informed by the police of such charges, the chief commissioner immediately suspends that scout leader, which is effect from today’s date,” it said.
“We will, of course, be working with the CCC and all other authorities in relation to their investigations. We have no other information at this time and further inquiries and details can be made to the CCC.”
CCC detectives and forensic computing investigators, with the Ipswich police child protection unit, found child exploitation material on cameras, computers and electronic storage devices in a raid on a West Ipswich address on Sunday.
“Following examination of the seized devices, the CCC identified other child exploitation material that it will allege was made by the 30-year-old man,” the crime agency said.
Investigators from the CCC’s criminal paedophilia team, Cerberus, will further allege the man used the internet to “access and make available child exploitation material”.
He has also been charged with three counts of possessing child exploitation material, five counts of using a carriage service to make available child pornography and one count of using a carriage service to access child pornography.
The CCC said the investigation was continuing.
