Australian man charged over live‑streamed overseas child abuse

Anthony Brian Jones, 40, appeared in the Caloundra Magistrates Court on the Sunshine Coast and was charged by the Australian Federal Police with using a carriage service for child‑abuse material, sexual activity with a child outside Australia and sexual intercourse with a child outside Australia. The charges relate to his alleged role in live‑streamed abuse of children overseas, including providing instructions to an adult facilitator in the Philippines.

The investigation began after a tip‑off from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in February. Police searched Jones’s home in Caloundra on April 1, seizing multiple electronic devices for forensic analysis. AFP officials said they are working with overseas partners to identify the victims and ensure they are removed from further harm. Jones was granted bail, with his case adjourned to 13 August. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.