QResear.ch

#17453567 at 2022-08-28 08:13:36 (UTC+1)
Q Research Australia #25: My Koala Hates Spam Too Edition

#25 - Part 27
Child Exploitation, Pedophilia, Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking Investigations - Part 2
>>17417197 Former NRL star Brett Finch pleads guilty to sharing child abuse material after he detailed a series of acts he wished to perform on teenage boys in conversations with strangers on an online messaging platform
>>17417219 How Ashley Alum's arrest helped NT police catch some of the state's worst child sexual offenders - When police executed a search warrant at a man's home in Tennant Creek following a tip-off from the United States' National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), they had no idea what they would uncover
>>17417752 Ashley Youth Detention Centre guards forced child to perform sexual acts to get his medication, inquiry hears - A former child detainee at Tasmania's youth detention centre has told the Commission of Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings he was made to perform sexual acts on guards in exchange for his medication - Another witness at the inquiry, criminologist Robert White, said he would want to "raze Ashley to the ground" tomorrow - and that another expert had told him it was "the worst institution" they had ever seen
>>17418661 Operation Arkstone: How tiny device hid 'unthinkable' child abuse material - It was a tiny device in plain sight in a toy-filled bedroom. But it contained what police have called "horrendous, unthinkable material"
>>17418866 Inside Operation Arkstone: How Australia's largest online child abuse investigation began - Teachers, childcare workers and coaches were among the men arrested in Australia's largest online child abuse probe - How a USB stick and phone unlocked the twisted web of exploitation
>>17418968 Inside Operation Arkstone: How paedophile grant harden held 'sex party sleepovers' - Parents of a boy preyed on by a paedophile - who had "sex party sleepovers" and shared the child abuse material online - have spoken of the moment they realised the man they trusted was a "monster"
>>17419017 Inside Operation Arkstone: Bid to save victims of Australia's online child abuse ring - It was the Aussie accent which rocked the battle-hardened cop - How authorities rescued 56 children and 11 animals while investigating the country's largest online child abuse ring

>>17422699 Child inmate at Ashley Youth Detention Centre ruined by incarceration experience, mother tells inquiry - The mother of a detainee at Ashley Youth Detention Centre has told Tasmania's Commission of Inquiry she feared for her son's life while he was incarcerated, but her son would be "punished" every time she raised concerns
>>17422794 Sexual assaults are at an all-time high. Why talking to your child about abuse is so important - Sexual abuse isn't always about physical touch - What can parents do better? - How to start the conversation - What can be signs of sexual abuse? - What if you suspect something?
>>17426623 Female detainee tells of abuse, torment, while at Tasmania's Ashley youth prison - Stealing a bag of chips would land Erin in Tasmania's Ashley youth prison, a place where she would be sexually abused, punished if she complained and taught that it was better just to shut up and accept it
>>17430810 Ashley youth detainee alleges bribes offered if 'nice things' said about Tasmanian prison at abuse inquiry - A former detainee of Tasmania's youth detention centre has told the commission of inquiry into child sexual abuse he was bribed by the current centre manager to say nice things about the facility
>>17430830 Another victim of former elite junior cricket coach Ian Harold King tells court of lasting impact of his abuse - A Canberra man abused by notorious paedophile Ian Harold King has told the ACT Supreme Court the former elite junior cricket coach "stole" his soul
>>17430836 'Extremely large' amount of material in ex-Moriah College teacher's child exploitation case - Police are analysing an "extremely large" volume of digital material, totalling 1.3 terabytes, in the case of Moriah College's former head of English who is charged with child exploitation offences, Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court has heard
>>17430846 Meta won't be allowed to betray child safety - Tech companies have a moral - and soon a legal - responsibility to protect children from online abuse - Priti Patel, UK Home Secretary - telegraph.co.uk
>>17435361 'Sickened': Dad describes initial response to daughter's sex abuse claim - A father has described hearing for the first time his daughter's claim she was sexually touched by her swimming teacher Kyle Daniels

#17418968 at 2022-08-20 14:26:04 (UTC+1)
Q Research Australia #25: My Koala Hates Spam Too Edition

>>17418661
Inside Arkstone: How paedophile grant harden held 'sex party sleepovers'

Parents of a boy preyed on by a paedophile - who had "sex party sleepovers" and shared the child abuse material online - have spoken of the moment they realised the man they trusted was a "monster".

Clare Sibthorpe - August 20, 2022

1/3

Nicole* sat trembling on the edge of her couch, attempting to process every parent's worst nightmare.

"I remember actually seeing grant's face turning from a man we trusted to a monster, like the mask was coming off," she said.

"I hated him more and more as more details came out."

Her son Sam* is a cheeky, sport-obsessed young boy who is adored by all, reaches above and beyond to cheer up his friends and never runs out of energy.

But behind his smile hides a devastating past.

"You look back and think, 'how did I not see signs? How did we not know that this person was doing these things to our child'?" Nicole asked.

"It's heartbreaking feeling like a failure as a parent ... because someone hurt our child and we didn't know."

Sam was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a junior soccer coach and friend his parents deeply trusted, grant harden.

It was the ultimate betrayal of trust, theft of innocence and act of cruelty.

harden was arrested on May 8, 2020, under Australian Federal Police's Operation Arkstone: Australia's largest online child abuse investigation.

The vile 31-year-old recorded himself abusing Sam* and six other young children, using grotesque advertisements on Snapchat asking for pedophilic videos and images from "dads, big bros, uncles, teachers, and babysitters" in exchange for sending his own recorded abuse into the global syndicate.

harden pleaded guilty to, and was convicted of, more than 170 child abuse offences. These included 16 counts of having sex with a child under the age of 10. In March, he was jailed for 30 years with a non-parole period of 22 years.

His sentence was met with a sigh of relief from Nicole and other victims' families.

But six months later, the palpable pain on her face paints a picture of the battle ahead.

While harden can't violate other children from behind bars, her family is living with their own life sentence.

"If we are able to share our story and prevent even one child from what our son has experienced, that would be a positive outcome," Nicole said.

It can be easy for people to question parents' decisions when they hear about such horrific offending as a way to convince themselves it could never happen to those they know and love. But Nicole and her partner *Adam did what most parents would do. They trusted a person in a position of care.

Their exact relationship cannot be revealed for legal reasons, but the circumstances which led to Sam sleeping over at harden's house were not unusual.

Ironically, Nicole described harden as "a big kid" who was great with children and adults. A fun, kind man with a deceivingly warm energy who effortlessly made anyone laugh.

Sam had been sleeping over his house regularly for several months when Nicole answered a late-night phone call from another victim's mum.

Confused about why she was calling so late, she hesitantly answered.

"The conversation was just a lot of umming and ahhing all over the place," Nicole said.

"Eventually she said: 'grant's been arrested for child pornography'. My gut just sunk."

"My first instinct was not 'oh my God, he's hurt my child', but it was that I didn't understand it.

"I could not comprehend him and child pornography together."

(continued)

#17418887 at 2022-08-20 13:59:43 (UTC+1)
Q Research Australia #25: My Koala Hates Spam Too Edition

>>17418866

2/3

What shook Sgt Veltmeyer was the vast number of kids who were exposed to these men, let alone under their care.

Among them were child care workers, a teacher, a soccer coach, an air hostess about to become a teaching assistant, a disability worker, a supermarket attendant, a chef and an electrician.

Some seemingly unassuming, but calculated, men deliberately seeped through their communities in various ways, where they were thanked and appreciated by parents for being good with kids and giving back to others. They were a far cry from the false but lingering paedophile stereotype of the creepy old man who keeps to himself.

One overseas referral led officers to a man who had been approved to adopt two young boys. Disturbingly, he had spoken online with another man in Australia about how he planned to abuse those children.

As dark a discovery as that was, Sgt Veltmeyer was glad he arrested that man before he got the chance to lay a hand on those children.

That's because the prevention of any such crime is obviously a win. But also because too often in his job, the paedophilia has already happened by the time those responsible reach his radar.

By then, it has been filmed and irreversibly released into the internet, only for these children to be re-victimised by every new pair of eyes that lay upon it. Sgt Veltmeyer wishes his were not among them.

But trawling through mountains of inconceivably revolting material came with the territory of each new arrest.

"For every video, we have to write a summary for the statement of facts, and that's not just the abuse he's done but all the videos he's downloaded and been sent from other people," Sgt Veltmeyer said.

"Then we then have to categorise those videos and work with our victim identification team to find the children we don't know. It's horrific material, but at the back of your head you're doing everything you can to find those children and take the offenders to court."

When Sydney soccer coach grant harden pleaded guilty to 179 charges including sex with a child under 10 and disseminating child sex abuse material, the court heard there were thousands of images and videos. Some included bestiality.

In just four days, he exchanged them with 148 Snapchat users.

As the videos were outlined in court, police called journalists for welfare checks - quite a rarity. Incredibly, Sgt Veltmeyer said these were far from the worst of the videos.

In March, harden was jailed for 30 years with a minimum of 22 years. He has since lodged a notice of an intention to appeal his sentence with the court.

(continued)

#17418661 at 2022-08-20 12:40:37 (UTC+1)
Q Research Australia #25: My Koala Hates Spam Too Edition

How tiny device hid 'unthinkable' child abuse material

It was a tiny device in plain sight in a toy-filled bedroom. But it contained what police have called "horrendous, unthinkable material".

Clare Sibthorpe - August 20, 2022

They were two pieces of tiny computer technology, the size of a pinky and palm.

But the mobile phone and USB stick, sitting in plain sight in the toy-filled bedroom of a nondescript house, unlocked some of the most depraved paedophilia ever uncovered in Australia.

The devastating discovery formed just one tentacle of the nation's largest online child abuse probe. It was only the beginning.

That search warrant was the result of a global effort, sparking from a tip off from US authorities. Over the next two-and-a-half-years, it snowballed into an investigation at a scale the Australian Federal Police had never embarked on before.

These shocking discoveries, which rocked even the most seasoned of child protection officers, became a stark warning that paedophiles are taking advantage of advancing encryption methods and popular chat platforms to exchange images and videos of child abuse online.

For the first time, the frontline officers who spearheaded the investigation have shared its inner workings, as well as the challenges that come with sifting through millions of unimaginably horrific material and dropping bombshells of devastating news on families.

"I was absolutely shocked," AFP acting sergeant Scott Veltmeyer said from the AFP's Sydney headquarters, recalling the moment he first saw the content from that Wyong home.

"It was horrendous, unthinkable material. I could not believe this was happening to children. You would never want anyone to watch those videos."

It was the accent which rocked battle-hardened AFP Detective Leading Senior Constable Kate Laidler, despite her days spent chasing the filthiest predators.

"These children were clearly Australian," she said, referring to the victims in the mountains of videos she was faced with.

"We could tell from the accent and material... we are acutely aware we might be the only people who are looking for these children and it might be the only opportunity to rescue them. You feel this sense of pressure."

One mother was grateful her son had been saved from the cruel hands of former soccer coach grant harden, who recorded himself abusing several children and sent thousands of videos of it and other child abuse into the online syndicate in exchange for receiving abuse material from others.

But the harm that had already been done could never be reversed.

"You look back and think, 'how did I not see signs? How did we not know that this person was doing these things to our child'?" the mother asked.

"It's heartbreaking feeling like a failure as a parent ... because someone hurt our child and we didn't know."

harden was jailed for a minimum of 22 years - a sentence he intends to appeal. But the families he shattered are living with lifelong sentences.

They've shared their stories of betrayal and heartbreak to highlight an uncomfortable but incredibly important issue.

And finally, all men linked to the disgusting online syndicate can be revealed, from those who pleaded guilty to viewing some of its material to those who pleaded guilty to abusing children themselves.

https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/how-tiny-device-hid-unthinkable-child-abuse-material/news-story/09fd0c0e0e9fd1ffdf7a1ce9fc42ec86

#16356644 at 2022-05-28 14:26:32 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #23: HOUSE OF CARDS Edition

How a single USB stick led to the rescue of 56 children and the arrest of 26 men

Sally Rawsthorne - May 28, 2022

Warning: Distressing content

It looked like an ordinary USB stick, the type found in office drawers all over the country. But what an Australian Federal Police technician found on it led to the rescue of 56 children and 11 animals, the arrest of 26 men and 154 referrals to international police in what was the nation's biggest child abuse bust.

"It's gut-wrenching stuff, the whole of the material for Operation Arkstone is definitely the worst that I've seen and on the most extreme end. It is just the worst of the worst," acting Sergeant Scott Veltmeyer said.

In February 2020, Operation Arkstone investigators arrived at the Central Coast home of Justin Radford, 30, courtesy of a tip from the United States' National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

It was there they found the USB that would ultimately lead them to an online network of child abusers that spanned the globe.

"We had to delve deeper into his files. A digital forensic specialist could find hidden files and vault applications that revealed this online network that operated locally, nationally and overseas," Veltmeyer said.

The USB uncovered a horrifying interconnected web of child abusers who would take videos and photographs of themselves sexually abusing children, then swap the content with other paedophiles on commonly used social media platforms including Snapchat, Kik and TikTok.

None of these men knew one another in real life; rather, police interviews reveal they would begin discussing child abuse with strangers on social media.

"It was clear a lot of them had been into child abuse material for a long time, they started off viewing child abuse material, then more extreme child abuse material then, in these particular situations, some of them then proceeded to abusing children."

Beyond exchanging videos, the websites had a chat function.

"There were group chats of up to 50 people who were able to discuss horrendous crimes. What they wanted to or had done to children, images of bestiality and self-produced child abuse material," Veltmeyer said.

One man caught in the sting, western Sydney soccer coach grant harden, used the online handle Baddad03 to solicit child abuse material from other men and shared hundreds of videos of himself sexually abusing seven different boys.

"28 pervy dad wanting to chat with under 14, Only add if you're with a boy," read one of his online solicitations for more child abuse material.

harden came to the police's attention on May 7, 2020; investigators worked through the night to arrest him the next day.

"It was a race to find him, we knew he was doing horrendous stuff to the children in his care."

harden will remain behind bars until at least 2042.

Other men caught up in the sting include Mid North Coast childcare worker Timothy Doyle, 27, who has pleaded guilty to a raft of charges including sexual intercourse with a person over 14 and under 16 and awaits sentencing.

His partner, 22-year-old Steven Garrad, pleaded guilty earlier this year to more than a dozen charges including sexual intercourse with a child under 10.

Paedophile rings are the focus of the AFP, who warn that child abusers come in many forms.

"It's no longer the old school days where we have to look out for the man in the trench coat. These offenders are aged 20 to 48, childcare workers, volunteers, soccer coaches, teachers, chefs. It's your everyday person."

If this article has raised issues for you, support is available by phoning the National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Line - 1800 737 732; Men's Referral Service - 1300 766 491; Lifeline - 13 11 14.

https://www.1800respect.org.au/

https://www.ntv.org.au/

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

https://www.smh.com.au/national/how-a-single-usb-stick-led-to-the-rescue-of-56-children-and-the-arrest-of-26-men-20220525-p5aohw.html

#16343617 at 2022-05-26 08:40:12 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #23: HOUSE OF CARDS Edition

#22 - Part 29
Child Exploitation, Pedophilia, Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking Investigations
>>16040817 Australia enshrines protection against modern slavery - Ratification of the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Protocol on Forced Labour
>>16047528 Disgraced founding pastor Brian Houston feuds online with Hillsong about his wife's future - 'Our beautiful church is losing its soul' - Brian Houston on Instagram in response to Hillsong board's treatment of his wife and co-founding pastor, Bobbie Houston
>>16059135 Mathew Campbell pleads not guilty to covert filming of children as part of Jadd William Brooker's online SA paedophile syndicate
>>16200002 Tasmania's Commission of Inquiry into State Government Responses to Child Sexual Abuse hears alleged child abusers were allowed to continue working in teaching, youth detention roles 'for months'
>>16200002 Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings - About the Commission
>>16200019 Launceston General Hospital 'shrugged off abuse' of 11-year-old quadriplegic girl by paedophile nurse, James (Jim) Geoffrey Griffin: courageous Mother gives evidence
>>16200037 Mother tells Tasmania's child abuse commission of inquiry of feeling ignored, belittled by Launceston General Hospital staff when reporting suspected abuse of her 11-year-old quadriplegic daughter by paedophile nurse, James Geoffrey Griffin
>>16200056 Prosecutors urge SA court to show no mercy to childcare sex predator Bronte John Ciracovitch and impose harsh prison term

>>16246789 Child sexual abuse survivor Adam Kneale sues AFL club Western Bulldogs for damages, following abuse at the hands of former Bulldogs fundraising manager and Under-19 room steward Graeme Hobbs, who subjected Kneale to horrific ordeals within the club's offices and social club facilities at the Western Oval
>>16246793 Adam Kneale was like any footy-loving boy of the 80s until a trip to Footscray's Western Oval turned his innocent life into a nightmare - Russell Jackson - abc.net.au
>>16246808 Senior public servant and alleged paedophile syndicate member Stewart Iain Berry charged with six further child sex charges
>>16271657 grant harden: paedophile Sydney soccer coach, disability worker sentenced - The disturbing extent of a soccer coach's depraved sexual abuse of young boys can finally be revealed
>>16271664 grant harden: Paedophile sentenced after Operation Arkstone probe - A former Sydney soccer coach has been given a hefty jail sentence for more than 150 sex crimes against children and exchanging horrific videos of his assaults over Snapchat
>>16271676 Operation Arkstone: Sydney man sentenced after pleading guilty to 179 child abuse offences
>>16325831 William Skelland: 'Deviant' predator's 'terrifying' sexual acts on 'vulnerable boys' - A pedophile who molested boys at a housing facility for destitute children inflicted a lifetime of "terror" upon his victims, the County Court of Victoria has been told
>>16325833 Jail for William Skelland, 81, who abused boys in his care at the Burwood Boys' Home orphanage in Melbourne in 1973 and 1974
>>16325857 ANONS, REMEMBER: GLOBAL REPORT ALL CHILD ABUSE MATERIAL! ZERO TOLERANCE! https://qanon.pub/?q=child

#22 - Part 30
Qanon / Conspiracy Theory Hit Pieces, Australia and Worldwide
>>16104749 Hume Greens candidate Karen Stewart can't walk past climate change as major election battleground - "In 2021 her family spoke out openly about her brother Tim Stewart's involvement with QAnon and his close proximity to prime minister Scott Morrison."
>>16104753 (2021) QAnon follower Tim Stewart's an old friend of Scott Morrison. His family reported him to the national security hotline - Louise Milligan, Jeanavive McGregor and Lauren Day - abc.net.au
>>16169527 PM's office won't release any texts with QAnon friend, arguing they would not be 'official documents' - Scott Morrison's office refuses to release any text messages that might exist between PM and Tim Stewart following information commissioner ruling - Josh Taylor - theguardian.com
>>16187560 'Cheering section' for violence: the attacks that show 4chan is still a threat - The Washington DC shooting was the most recent to spawn out of the extremist culture of unregulated 'chan' message boards - Justin Ling - theguardian.com
>>16289877 Australian Electoral Commission on alert for electoral fraud conspiracies as fringe parties embrace Trump-style 'stolen election' lie
>>16319294 Video: US late show host Stephen Colbert roasts Scott Morrison on election day - "The Australian PM has been dogged by scandal, everything from allegations of racism to his friendship with a prominent QAnon conspiracy theorist"

#16343567 at 2022-05-26 08:19:53 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

#22 - Part 29
Child Exploitation, Pedophilia, Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking Investigations
>>16040817 Australia enshrines protection against modern slavery - Ratification of the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Protocol on Forced Labour
>>16047528 Disgraced founding pastor Brian Houston feuds online with Hillsong about his wife's future - 'Our beautiful church is losing its soul' - Brian Houston on Instagram in response to Hillsong board's treatment of his wife and co-founding pastor, Bobbie Houston
>>16059135 Mathew Campbell pleads not guilty to covert filming of children as part of Jadd William Brooker's online SA paedophile syndicate
>>16200002 Tasmania's Commission of Inquiry into State Government Responses to Child Sexual Abuse hears alleged child abusers were allowed to continue working in teaching, youth detention roles 'for months'
>>16200002 Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings - About the Commission
>>1620001 Launceston General Hospital 'shrugged off abuse' of 11-year-old quadriplegic girl by paedophile nurse, James (Jim) Geoffrey Griffin: courageous Mother gives evidence
>>16200037 Mother tells Tasmania's child abuse commission of inquiry of feeling ignored, belittled by Launceston General Hospital staff when reporting suspected abuse of her 11-year-old quadriplegic daughter by paedophile nurse, James Geoffrey Griffin
>>16200056 Prosecutors urge SA court to show no mercy to childcare sex predator Bronte John Ciracovitch and impose harsh prison term

>>16246789 Child sexual abuse survivor Adam Kneale sues AFL club Western Bulldogs for damages, following abuse at the hands of former Bulldogs fundraising manager and Under-19 room steward Graeme Hobbs, who subjected Kneale to horrific ordeals within the club's offices and social club facilities at the Western Oval
>>16246793 Adam Kneale was like any footy-loving boy of the 80s until a trip to Footscray's Western Oval turned his innocent life into a nightmare - Russell Jackson - abc.net.au
>>16246808 Senior public servant and alleged paedophile syndicate member Stewart Iain Berry charged with six further child sex charges
>>16271657 grant harden: paedophile Sydney soccer coach, disability worker sentenced - The disturbing extent of a soccer coach's depraved sexual abuse of young boys can finally be revealed
>>16271664 grant harden: Paedophile sentenced after Operation Arkstone probe - A former Sydney soccer coach has been given a hefty jail sentence for more than 150 sex crimes against children and exchanging horrific videos of his assaults over Snapchat
>>16271676 Operation Arkstone: Sydney man sentenced after pleading guilty to 179 child abuse offences
>>16325831 William Skelland: 'Deviant' predator's 'terrifying' sexual acts on 'vulnerable boys' - A pedophile who molested boys at a housing facility for destitute children inflicted a lifetime of "terror" upon his victims, the County Court of Victoria has been told
>>16325833 Jail for William Skelland, 81, who abused boys in his care at the Burwood Boys' Home orphanage in Melbourne in 1973 and 1974
>>16325857 ANONS, REMEMBER: GLOBAL REPORT ALL CHILD ABUSE MATERIAL! ZERO TOLERANCE! https://qanon.pub/?q=child

#22 - Part 30
Qanon / Conspiracy Theory Hit Pieces, Australia and Worldwide
>>16104749 Hume Greens candidate Karen Stewart can't walk past climate change as major election battleground - "In 2021 her family spoke out openly about her brother Tim Stewart's involvement with QAnon and his close proximity to prime minister Scott Morrison."
>>16104753 (2021) QAnon follower Tim Stewart's an old friend of Scott Morrison. His family reported him to the national security hotline - Louise Milligan, Jeanavive McGregor and Lauren Day - abc.net.au
>>16169527 PM's office won't release any texts with QAnon friend, arguing they would not be 'official documents' - Scott Morrison's office refuses to release any text messages that might exist between PM and Tim Stewart following information commissioner ruling - Josh Taylor - theguardian.com
>>16187560 'Cheering section' for violence: the attacks that show 4chan is still a threat - The Washington DC shooting was the most recent to spawn out of the extremist culture of unregulated 'chan' message boards - Justin Ling - theguardian.com
>>16289877 Australian Electoral Commission on alert for electoral fraud conspiracies as fringe parties embrace Trump-style 'stolen election' lie
>>16319294 Video: US late show host Stephen Colbert roasts Scott Morrison on election day - "The Australian PM has been dogged by scandal, everything from allegations of racism to his friendship with a prominent QAnon conspiracy theorist"

#16271664 at 2022-05-14 06:49:53 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16271657
grant harden: Paedophile sentenced after Operation Arkstone probe

A former Sydney soccer coach has been given a hefty jail sentence for more than 150 sex crimes against children and exchanging horrific videos of his assaults over Snapchat.

Clare Sibthorpe - May 13, 2022

1/2

For many years, grant harden was known to his western Sydney community as a kind, caring and bubbly soccer coach who was great with kids.

But his squeaky clean reputation came crashing down on May 8 2020, when detectives found a shocking 277 videos of sexual assaults against on his phone.

Now, he has been sentenced to 30 years jail for the horrific assaults against seven children aged between five and eight as well as sending and receiving child abuse material which spanned two-and-a-half years to mid-2020.

harden was convicted at Sydney's Downing Centre District Court of 179 offences, which he pleaded guilty to last July.

Family members of the victims gasped in court as the sentence was read out.

In February, the court heard how harden boasted to fellow paedophiles he assaulted a child while they were in hospital for surgery and admitted to giving them the sleep-inducing drug melatonin before abusing them at "sex parties".

In court on Friday, many more disturbing details of his abuse and underground Snapchat sex trading ring emerged.

Many of the offences outlined are too graphic to detail, but those against just one child included 25 counts of sexual intercourse, eight counts of aggravated indecent assault and 24 counts of sexual touching.

According to agreed facts, harden would send videos of his abuse to other paedophiles under three different code names across various chat platforms, including Snapchat. There, he posted more than 100 advertisements asking to receive pedophilic videos and images.

Under the name "Baddad03" he posted the advertisement:

"28Pervy Dad Looking to Chat with Under 14, or if you're with a little boy. Any perv dads, big bros, uncles, teachers, babysitters etc. Must be willing to show boy."

Another advertisement read: "Only add if you're with a boy and will trade. Just prove it."

harden recorded hundreds of his own assaults against children and sent dozens of them over chat platforms to other users, some up to 33 seconds in length and including more than one victim.

Some of the assaults were broadcast live to the platforms and included commentary or text from harden with words such as: "That's his mate".

In return, other users sent him the most abhorrent footage imaginable of sexual torture against babies, toddles and children.

The facts stated he asked one user if he had "f*cked" his 14-year-old son, to which the user said "yes, but not very often". Another user said to harden: "You wanna buy nudes? I have a mega of 18 gigabytes".

harden's victims told police in an interview he would shower and bath naked with them and get them to "wash and dry" his genitalia.

The children said they would play video games naked and harden would give rewards on the game in exchange for a range of sexual acts which they described in childlike language.

One child told police that when they realised harden had sex with adults, they said to him: "you said that was our secret".

One of the victims told police the "secret" started when they were aged four and harden also let other men do things to them.

Another child told police in one of the homes the abuse took place, the abuse always happened inside a wardrobe because "it was the only secret place".

Sometimes harden would give the children "melatonin gummies" he bought online to make them drowsy before abusing them.

(continued)

#16271657 at 2022-05-14 06:48:03 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

grant harden: paedophile Sydney soccer coach, disability worker sentenced

The disturbing extent of a soccer coach's depraved sexual abuse of young boys can finally be revealed.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Ryan Young - May 13, 2022

The disturbing full extent of a Sydney paedophile's depraved abuse and exploitation of young boys can now be revealed after he was sentenced to a minimum 22-years behind bars.

Kids soccer coach and disability support worker grant harden, 31, filmed his sexual abuse of seven children and shared it with other paedophiles in exchange for more child abuse material.

According to a statement of agreed facts tendered in court, the children were aged as young as four and subject to sexual abuse.

Much of the material in the facts statement, which ran to more than 60 pages, is too disturbing to publish and outlines hundreds of examples of abuse harden or other paedophiles carried out with children.

Court documents state several of the children were forced to touch each other, shower together, perform sex acts on harden or have him perform sex acts on them.

One of the children told police they did it for rewards after harden exploited their interest in popular video game Fortnite and offered to give them what are known as "skins" in the game.

Australian Federal Police arrested harden in May 2020 after child protection operatives became aware of material circulating online.

When police seized his phone more than 450 videos and images were found. They included material both featuring harden and other men.

The revolting imagery included an 18-month-old baby trying to "wriggle out" of an unknown adult male's grip and other content too horrific to publish.

Police also discovered that harden had posted more than 100 advertisements seeking out child abuse material.

"Any perv dads big bros uncles teachers babysitters etc," harden wrote.

"Must be willing to show boy.

"28 Pervy Dad Looking to Chat with Under 14 or if you're with a little boy."

When police spoke to harden he said he felt "excited and aroused" when he looked at child abuse material.

He sat in silence from a room at Long Bay jail, showing no emotion as NSW District Court Judge Sarah Huggett sentenced him on Friday.

The court heard harden had a good upbringing and no mental health or substance abuse issues

"The offender engaged in repeated and ongoing offending against children over many years in circumstances where he knew what he was doing was wrong," judge Huggett said.

"He repeatedly placed himself in positions that gave him access to boys."

Judge Huggett said harden made efforts to hide his crimes, but he made no effort to stop.

The court was told he was allegedly sexually touched as a child, however judge Huggett said there was "insufficient evidence" to make a finding that it contributed to the crime.

In a letter tendered in court, harden said he wanted to apologise for his actions.

"I hate what I did and I hate what I put them through," he said.

The court was told that to stop his sexual urges, harden agreed to take anti-libidinal medication when he was released from jail.

He was convicted of more than 170 child abuse offences he pleaded guilty to, including multiple counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10, transmitting child abuse material, possessing it and sexually touching children.

Judge Huggett imposed a 30-year term of imprisonment with a non parole period of 22 years, backdated to when harden first entered custody in 2020.

harden will be 51 when he first becomes eligible for parole in 2042.

The court was told harden's victims were likely to suffer lifelong psychological damage and had already experienced heightened anger, difficulty toileting, nightmares, fear of men, self-loathing, loneliness and strained relationships with their parents.

https://www.news.com.au/national/courts-law/grant-harden-paedophile-sydney-soccer-coach-disability-worker-sentenced/news-story/c7eba139c7f3ef656dfda504ca1e335f

#15592282 at 2022-02-10 08:49:09 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #21: MIL-CIV ALLIANCE Edition

#20 - Part 19
Child Exploitation, Pedophilia, Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking Investigations - Part 2
>>15325373 (2016) Accused Australian paedophile Robert Ellis says he doesn't deserve jail
>>15325605 Disturbing rise in childlike sex dolls imported from Asia - More than 150 childlike sex dolls sent from Japan, Hong Kong and China were stopped from entering Australia in 2021
>>15380363 David Sheppard and Alan Whitcher, former students suing Mentone Grammar over historic abuse claims from 1970s
>>15380370 Horrific new Mentone Grammar abuse claims emerge - Students at Mentone Grammar's cadet camp in the 70s have revealed sickening experiences of being told to line up naked so leaders could inspect their genitals
>>15404001 Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation Tweet: We are blown away by the response to 'Stop Child Abuse - Trace an Object'. Since its launch in March 2021 there have been over 97,000 web page views leading to over 700 reports. Review the objects at http://accce.gov.au/trace
>>15404021 Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation - Stop child abuse: Trace An Object - We need your help in the fight against online child sexual exploitation - The smallest clue can often help solve a case - Can you help us recognise these objects?
>>15448055 SA Labor MP Nat Cook's senior adviser Benjamin John Waters viewed child exploitation material at work, court told
>>15463568 Ben Waters says 'endless stress' of work for Labor MP Nat Cook led to 'escape' into child abuse material

>>15472800 Ex-Christian Brother Ted Bales (formerly known as Edward Dowlan), already twice-jailed for abusing young children, pleads guilty to more than 30 new charges related to abuse of 19 boys between 1971 and 1988
>>15490324 Video: Four million digital files seized in child exploitation crackdown by Australian Federal Police-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE)
>>15490480 How online creeps pose as celebs to target kids online - Shocking real life examples of how easily low-life predators are able to prey on kids and extort them for sexual material have been released in a bid to educate families of the dangers
>>15499029 Hillsong founder Brian Houston steps down as global leader of the Pentecostal church as he prepares to defend court charges that he covered up allegations of his father's child sexual abuse
>>15517134 Child sex tourist sentenced in Brisbane Supreme Court - John Joseph Power - Brisbane man who groomed young girls and committed "depraved" sexual acts against them while on a trip to the Philippines
>>15534535 Sex offender and former Hey Dad! actor Robert Hughes to be considered for parole
>>15534577 grant harden: Child sex offender to be sentenced as part of Operation Arkstone - Paedophile grant harden drugged kids as young as five before abusing them and even boasted he assaulted a child while they were in hospital for surgery
>>15566339 grant harden: Paedophile busted in Operation Arkstone wants treatment, court told
>>15584022 New Zealand Royal Commission hears from survivors abused by Brother Bernard McGrath ahead of Australian transfer

#15592221 at 2022-02-10 08:33:38 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #20 - INSURGENCY Edition

#20 - Part 19
Child Exploitation, Pedophilia, Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking Investigations - Part 2
>>15325373 (2016) Accused Australian paedophile Robert Ellis says he doesn't deserve jail
>>15325605 Disturbing rise in childlike sex dolls imported from Asia - More than 150 childlike sex dolls sent from Japan, Hong Kong and China were stopped from entering Australia in 2021
>>15380363 David Sheppard and Alan Whitcher, former students suing Mentone Grammar over historic abuse claims from 1970s
>>15380370 Horrific new Mentone Grammar abuse claims emerge - Students at Mentone Grammar's cadet camp in the 70s have revealed sickening experiences of being told to line up naked so leaders could inspect their genitals
>>15404001 Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation Tweet: We are blown away by the response to 'Stop Child Abuse - Trace an Object'. Since its launch in March 2021 there have been over 97,000 web page views leading to over 700 reports. Review the objects at http://accce.gov.au/trace
>>15404021 Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation - Stop child abuse: Trace An Object - We need your help in the fight against online child sexual exploitation - The smallest clue can often help solve a case - Can you help us recognise these objects?
>>15448055 SA Labor MP Nat Cook's senior adviser Benjamin John Waters viewed child exploitation material at work, court told
>>15463568 Ben Waters says 'endless stress' of work for Labor MP Nat Cook led to 'escape' into child abuse material

>>15472800 Ex-Christian Brother Ted Bales (formerly known as Edward Dowlan), already twice-jailed for abusing young children, pleads guilty to more than 30 new charges related to abuse of 19 boys between 1971 and 1988
>>15490324 Video: Four million digital files seized in child exploitation crackdown by Australian Federal Police-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE)
>>15490480 How online creeps pose as celebs to target kids online - Shocking real life examples of how easily low-life predators are able to prey on kids and extort them for sexual material have been released in a bid to educate families of the dangers
>>15499029 Hillsong founder Brian Houston steps down as global leader of the Pentecostal church as he prepares to defend court charges that he covered up allegations of his father's child sexual abuse
>>15517134 Child sex tourist sentenced in Brisbane Supreme Court - John Joseph Power - Brisbane man who groomed young girls and committed "depraved" sexual acts against them while on a trip to the Philippines
>>15534535 Sex offender and former Hey Dad! actor Robert Hughes to be considered for parole
>>15534577 grant harden: Child sex offender to be sentenced as part of Operation Arkstone - Paedophile grant harden drugged kids as young as five before abusing them and even boasted he assaulted a child while they were in hospital for surgery
>>15566339 grant harden: Paedophile busted in Operation Arkstone wants treatment, court told
>>15584022 New Zealand Royal Commission hears from survivors abused by Brother Bernard McGrath ahead of Australian transfer

#15566339 at 2022-02-07 07:45:28 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #20 - INSURGENCY Edition

>>15534577
grant harden: Paedophile busted in Operation Arkstone wants treatment, court told

RYAN YOUNG - FEBRUARY 7, 2022

1/2

WARNING: Graphic content

A pedophile who "couldn't stop" sexually abusing and filming young boys at sleepovers before he shared thousands of their images with members of an online child sex ring has made his final bid to avoid spending life behind bars.

After pleading guilty to more than 170 child abuse charges, former junior soccer coach grant harden appeared in the Downing Centre District Court via video link from Long Bay jail for a final sentencing hearing on Monday.

The 31-year-old from St Clair in western Sydney faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for 26 of the offences he was charged with, including multiple counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years.

harden targeted seven children and the court was previously told that in most cases after he sexually abused them he would upload images of the abuse for other paedophiles to view on social media applications like Snapchat and Kik.

The court was previously told harden gave two young boys melatonin before abusing them, filming it and sharing the images with other paedophiles on social media.

In summing up harden's case, defence barrister Pauline David said her client suffered from a "terrible disorder" and wanted treatment.

"He has a pedophilic disorder, he has a sickness, it needs to be treated," Ms David told the court.

"He accepts it's not normal and he wants to be a normal man."

harden never sought to excuse his behaviour and was "heartbroken" over what he had done, Ms David said.

"He has answered every question ... he has said sorry, he has taken every opportunity to accept responsibility for what he has done" she said.

"He has never once come before this court and suggested or asked Your Honour for sympathy or not to be punished ... he has never once sought to deflect from what happened to those children."

While Ms David was at pains to stress she was not suggesting harden protected the children he abused, she said the court had to consider the circumstances in which the crimes were committed.

"He sought to minimise any impact upon the child, in most cases, not all," Ms David said as she explained most of harden's victims were asleep or unwittingly involved.

"These were not situations where the offender blatantly and obviously and was arranging this situation without any regard.

"He was responding to his own urges ... but there was some level of ... protection of the children from the excesses of his behaviour."

Ms David said harden "couldn't stop" and didn't know how to get help to deal with his attraction to children.

"He has a desire to have treatment, he is prepared to take whatever treatment is necessary," she said.

(continued)

#15534577 at 2022-02-03 09:06:38 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #20 - INSURGENCY Edition

grant harden: Child sex offender to be sentenced as part of Operation Arkstone

Paedophile grant harden drugged kids as young as five before abusing them and even boasted he assaulted a child while they were in hospital for surgery.

Clare Sibthorpe - February 3, 2022

1/2

A court has heard how paedophile grant harden invited children as young as five over to his home for "sex party" sleepovers and often drugged them before the abuse.

The sickening details were revealed in court as the former soccer coached faced sentence for more than 150 child sex offences against seven victims.

The St Clair man was arrested in 2020 and last July pleaded guilty to 179 charges of child sex abuse.

This included 16 counts of having sex with a child under the age of 10 and sharing videos of the abuse with fellow paedophiles online.

He was due to be sentenced at the Downing Centre Court on Thursday but Judge Sarah Huggett decided she needed more time.

He will next appear on Monday.

At the sentencing hearing the prosecution repeated agreed facts tendered by police, which harden did not dispute.

Among his despicable acts included inviting children as young as five over to his home for what he called "sex party" sleepovers, drugging them with sleeping tablets before abusing them and on one occasion telling someone in a group chat that he had assaulted a child while they were in hospital for surgery.

On several occasions, he would bribe children with gifts and rewards in video games to groom them into engaging in the abuse.

The prosecutor explained how he used several chat platforms including Snapchat to lure in fellow paedophiles and trade child sex abuse material, which sometimes involved torture. Through these chats, he exchanged hundreds of videos and other types of abusive content with several people. In the four days before harden was arrested alone, he exchanged child abuse material with 148 snapchat users.

When asked how he felt about receiving videos of a violent nature, he said it "made him feel better" about what he was doing with his victims because he claimed his abuse was less severe.

Some of the material exchanged was so explicit and revolting that the prosecutor warned the court anyone attending may want to leave or those attending virtually may want to mute proceedings as she detailed them.

Earlier in the day a mum of one of his victims spoke of the devastating impact his offending has had on her son.

She struggled to hold back tears throughout reading the victim impact statement, which detailed that her son did not understand why his mother was always upset.

"After initially processing that you've been arrested and the realisation he could be one of your victims, he had to watch me crying every day, hear secret conversations on the phone.. and me just telling him I was having a sad day," she said.

"Because of what you did, I have no trust left for anyone.

"He doesn't go to play dates, sleepovers, birthday parties.

"He will not have the childhood he deserves because you annihilated my trust.

"His relationship with me is strained and different because I won't let him do the things that normal nine-year-old can do. He gets angry at me for saying no to things and he doesn't understand why."

The woman said she will not allow her son to be at risk again and therefore he is a "very lonely boy".

"He won't have the childhood and memories that he should be able to have because of what you did to him. Because of you."

In contrast to the victim's mother, harden did not become emotional when answering questions from the judge.

Judge Huggett asked harden why one of the children he abused was taking melatonin, and asked: "Did you utilise melatonin to facilitate your offending?"

harden claimed he and the child's mother "got it from the doctor because he was having trouble sleeping".

Judge Huggett asked why he had mentioned another sleep-inducing drug, phenergan, in group chats, to which he responded: "I said lots of things in chats... sometimes it was to make the people I was talking to more favourable."

(continued)

#13341737 at 2021-04-01 06:52:01 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #15 - NEVER RETREAT FROM THE BATTLEFIELD Edition

#14 - Part 11
Child Exploitation, Pedophilia, Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking Investigations
>>13168834 Video: World Cup rugby star Tony Daly speaks out about his childhood sexual abuse - ABC News Australia
>>13190149 Two women face court over alleged planned female genital mutilation of two-week-old baby in WA
>>13190664 NSW man James Robert Davis charged with keeping slave in Sydney suburb of Maroubra
>>13196575 Video: Man travels from Mt Isa to Brisbane to meet 'girl' who was undercover cop - Arrested by Detectives from Task Force Argos
>>13228625 Video: Escaping a sex cult: How Australian women were enslaved in plain sight (James Davis) - ABC / Four Corners
>>13235103 Former 'slave' Felicity Bourke speaks out about abusive sex cult being run from a rural property (James Davis)
>>13241444 Video: Australian Federal Police call for more people to come forward after James Davis charged with slavery offences
>>13241449 New South Wales cops 'warned about alleged sex-slave ring' in 2019 (James Davis)

>>13243916 Former prison guard James Davis denied bail over slavery offences - "kept in strict protection" 24 hours a day in Tamworth Correctional Centre
>>13254455 Operation Arkstone: Shaun Dregmans arrested in dawn raid, faces child abuse charges - 20th man allegedly linked to the country's biggest child sex abuse network
>>13254494 Video: Operation Arkstone Update: Additional 152 charges laid against Sydney man, junior soccer coach grant harden
>>13266971 'He's not a hero, he's a paedophile': new claims against Ken Dyers, Kenja Communications spiritual chief
>>13301085 Former Queensland MP Trevor Perrett charged with indecent treatment of young girls under 16 and 17
>>13307405 Video: First exit trafficking conviction in Australia - Sydney man used threats, coercion and deception to force a woman and her child to return to India
>>13322581 Video: Australian Prime Minister on the work of former Home Affairs minister, Peter Dutton, to help take down global pedophile networks
>>13335667 South Australian MP staffer Ben Waters charged with child abuse-related offences

#13341681 at 2021-04-01 06:37:29 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #14 - THE ART OF WAR Edition

#14 - Part 11
Child Exploitation, Pedophilia, Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking Investigations
>>13168834 Video: World Cup rugby star Tony Daly speaks out about his childhood sexual abuse - ABC News Australia
>>13190149 Two women face court over alleged planned female genital mutilation of two-week-old baby in WA
>>13190664 NSW man James Robert Davis charged with keeping slave in Sydney suburb of Maroubra
>>13196575 Video: Man travels from Mt Isa to Brisbane to meet 'girl' who was undercover cop - Arrested by Detectives from Task Force Argos
>>13228625 Video: Escaping a sex cult: How Australian women were enslaved in plain sight (James Davis) - ABC / Four Corners
>>13235103 Former 'slave' Felicity Bourke speaks out about abusive sex cult being run from a rural property (James Davis)
>>13241444 Video: Australian Federal Police call for more people to come forward after James Davis charged with slavery offences
>>13241449 New South Wales cops 'warned about alleged sex-slave ring' in 2019 (James Davis)

>>13243916 Former prison guard James Davis denied bail over slavery offences - "kept in strict protection" 24 hours a day in Tamworth Correctional Centre
>>13254455 Operation Arkstone: Shaun Dregmans arrested in dawn raid, faces child abuse charges - 20th man allegedly linked to the country's biggest child sex abuse network
>>13254494 Video: Operation Arkstone Update: Additional 152 charges laid against Sydney man, junior soccer coach grant harden
>>13266971 'He's not a hero, he's a paedophile': new claims against Ken Dyers, Kenja Communications spiritual chief
>>13301085 Former Queensland MP Trevor Perrett charged with indecent treatment of young girls under 16 and 17
>>13307405 Video: First exit trafficking conviction in Australia - Sydney man used threats, coercion and deception to force a woman and her child to return to India
>>13322581 Video: Australian Prime Minister on the work of former Home Affairs minister, Peter Dutton, to help take down global pedophile networks
>>13335667 South Australian MP staffer Ben Waters charged with child abuse-related offences

#13254486 at 2021-03-19 07:31:28 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #14 - THE ART OF WAR Edition

Shaun Dregmans faces child abuse charges after Operation Arkstone raid

A dawn raid has led to the arrest of the 20th man allegedly linked to the country's biggest child sex abuse network.

Janet Fife-Yeomans and Joanna Panagopoulos - March 18, 2021

A dawn raid on the north shore home of a hospitality worker has led to the arrest of the 20th man allegedly linked to the country's biggest child sex abuse network.

Shaun Dregmans, 31, was on Wednesday charged with possessing child abuse material as junior soccer coach grant harden, 29, faces a further 152 charges in court on Thursday as intelligence from the Australian Federal Police has led to four overseas arrests.

The 20 men face a total of 1026 charges related to child sexual abuse and in some cases bestiality.

A total of 53 children have now been removed from further harm in Australia as a result of Operation Arkstone, AFP Commander Hilda Sirec revealed on Wednesday.

She said that COVID-19 had made the prevalence of child exploitation even worse.

"As a society we still find it too confrontational to talk about child sexual abuse and exploitation," Commander Sirec said.

"So we must have more conversations with the community and inform them that this crime is more pervasive and widespread than realised.

"Australia has stood shoulder to shoulder to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. We also need the country to use the same sense of purpose and urgency to help fight the exploitation of children."

Operation Arkstone, which has spread to Europe, Asia, the US, Canada and New Zealand, was sparked over a year ago after the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified the online network of alleged child sex offenders distributing and receiving child abuse material using social media including Snapchat, Dropbox and Mega accounts

They alerted the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation which has so far made 146 international referrals to law enforcement agencies around the world.

In the latest arrest, AFP investigators executed a search warrant at Dregmans' Willoughby home before he was charged with one count of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service. He was granted police bail to appeal at Downing Centre Court on April 15.

harden, of St Clair, has been remanded in custody since his arrest in May last year on 44 child sexual abuse charges, including multiple counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years, and bestiality.

He faced a further 152 charges at Sydney's Central Local Court on Thursday for allegedly sexually abusing young children and filming the abuse to share online.

harden did not appear on screen when his case was heard.

In the brief hearing it was determined the case would be back in the same court on May 13 for committal.

He will be required to appear on screen at the next appearance. He did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.

Fourteen men have now been charged in NSW, three in Queensland, three in Western Australia, three in the US in Pennsylvania, Colorado and Connecticut and one in Canada as overseas police forces join with the AFP, NSW Police and other state and territory forces.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-new-south-wales/shaun-dregmans-faces-child-abuse-charges-after-operation-arkstone-raid/news-story/3b8d262c79666c448274a109a954eec0

#13254455 at 2021-03-19 07:19:53 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #14 - THE ART OF WAR Edition

Shaun Dregmans faces child abuse charges after Operation Arkstone raid

A dawn raid has led to the arrest of the 20th man allegedly linked to the country's biggest child sex abuse network.

Janet Fife-Yeomans and Joanna Panagopoulos - March 18, 2021

A dawn raid on the north shore home of a hospitality worker has led to the arrest of the 20th man allegedly linked to the country's biggest child sex abuse network.

Shaun Dregmans, 31, was on Wednesday charged with possessing child abuse material as junior soccer coach grant harden, 29, faces a further 152 charges in court on Thursday as intelligence from the Australian Federal Police has led to four overseas arrests.

The 20 men face a total of 1026 charges related to child sexual abuse and in some cases bestiality.

A total of 53 children have now been removed from further harm in Australia as a result of Operation Arkstone, AFP Commander Hilda Sirec revealed on Wednesday.

She said that COVID-19 had made the prevalence of child exploitation even worse.

"As a society we still find it too confrontational to talk about child sexual abuse and exploitation," Commander Sirec said.

"So we must have more conversations with the community and inform them that this crime is more pervasive and widespread than realised.

"Australia has stood shoulder to shoulder to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. We also need the country to use the same sense of purpose and urgency to help fight the exploitation of children."

Operation Arkstone, which has spread to Europe, Asia, the US, Canada and New Zealand, was sparked over a year ago after the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified the online network of alleged child sex offenders distributing and receiving child abuse material using social media including Snapchat, Dropbox and Mega accounts

They alerted the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation which has so far made 146 international referrals to law enforcement agencies around the world.

In the latest arrest, AFP investigators executed a search warrant at Dregmans' Willoughby home before he was charged with one count of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service. He was granted police bail to appeal at Downing Centre Court on April 15.

harden, of St Clair, has been remanded in custody since his arrest in May last year on 44 child sexual abuse charges, including multiple counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years, and bestiality.

He faced a further 152 charges at Sydney's Central Local Court on Thursday for allegedly sexually abusing young children and filming the abuse to share online.

harden did not appear on screen when his case was heard.

In the brief hearing it was determined the case would be back in the same court on May 13 for committal.

He will be required to appear on screen at the next appearance. He did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.

Fourteen men have now been charged in NSW, three in Queensland, three in Western Australia, three in the US in Pennsylvania, Colorado and Connecticut and one in Canada as overseas police forces join with the AFP, NSW Police and other state and territory forces.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-new-south-wales/shaun-dregmans-faces-child-abuse-charges-after-operation-arkstone-raid/news-story/3b8d262c79666c448274a109a954eec0