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Four men have been arrested for their alleged involvement in an “international network of satanic child sexual abuse material”, according to police in Australia.
Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty, commander of the New South Wales sexual crimes division, said the four men allegedly shared “abhorrent” content with an international network, which featured minors – from babies to children as young as 12 years old – as well as animals.
Authorities are still working to identify the victims.
“The police will allege in court that this international group participated in conversations and shared material that portrayed child abuse and torture, involving symbols and rituals linked to Satanism and the occult,” said Doherty this Monday (1st).
Thousands of videos were found on electronic devices seized during several simultaneous raids on properties in Sydney last week, according to the detective.
“Among these deplorable images, there were also several videos that showed the sexual abuse of animals,” she added.
A video released by the New South Wales Police shows the arrest of a 26-year-old man in the Waterloo neighborhood, in the city’s central region. Authorities say the suspect had a “leadership role” in the group.
The investigation was conducted by the New South Wales Sexual Crimes Team as part of Task Force Constantine, an operation established in April that investigates the online distribution of child sexual abuse material involving ritualistic or satanic themes.
In November, police were informed about a group of men in Sydney who were allegedly part of a large international pedophile ring.
They were “communicating with each other and… also sharing graphic child abuse material within this international group”, Doherty alleged.
Police were unable to confirm the identity of the children.
“We have not identified any specific children, but the images are of real children,” she said.
“Thousands of files” found
Police carried out six search and seizure warrants in Sydney last week, according to a police statement.
The 26-year-old man has been charged with a number of offenses including making available and possessing child abuse material. He was also charged with dissemination and possession of bestiality material.
Three other men, aged 46, 42 and 39, were arrested in the coastal suburb of Malabar in connection with the same child abuse ring. They face several charges related to possession or distribution of child abuse material.
The four individuals, whose names have not been released by police, were denied bail and will appear in court in January next year.
Police are analyzing “thousands of files” to investigate other alleged members of the group suspected of sharing images on encrypted international platforms.
The abuse was “particularly devastating because they used symbols and rituals in discussions they had about abusing children,” the detective said.
“It had a very ritualistic character,” he concluded.
