A Gravelly Beach man who uploaded and downloaded child abuse material which included content generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI), received two year jail term when sentenced in the Supreme Court of Tasmania.
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The conviction is believed to be the first in Tasmania's history relating to child exploitation material generated by AI.
The Gravelly Beach man, 48, was identified as part of a Tasmania Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (TAS-JACET) investigation.
Kristian Troy Geale pleaded guilty to possessing and accessing child abuse material.
The TAS-JACET, comprising of Australian Federal Police and Tasmania Police members, began an investigation in November, 2022, after receiving multiple reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) relating to an Australian-based user saving and downloading child abuse material from a website and social media platform.
Police identified the offender and executed a search warrant on May 1, 2023, at his Gravelly Beach residence, where they seized a number of electronic devices, including the man's computer.
An examination of the computer revealed hundreds of files containing child abuse material which included a significant amount generated by AI.
Geale was subsequently arrested and charged and pleaded guilty in the Launceston Magistrates Court on October 10 2023.
The crimes he pleaded guilty to were:
- Possess child abuse material obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth)
- Using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth)
He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 10 months.
AFP detective sergeant Aaron Hardcastle said the investigation marked the first time police had located and seized AI-generated child abuse material in Tasmania.
"Child abuse material, is still child abuse material, no matter what form it takes," detective sergeant Hardcastle said.
"People may not be aware that online simulations, fantasy, text-based stories, animations and cartoons, including artificial intelligence-generated content depicting child sexual abuse are all still considered child abuse material under Commonwealth legislation," he said.
"Whether the image is AI-generated or depicts a real child victim, the material is repulsive and the Tasmania JACET Team, along with the AFP and its law enforcement partners, will continue to identify and locate those sharing this abhorrent content and put them before the courts."
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is driving a collaborative national approach to combatting child abuse.
Nick Clark
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
