National

Man jailed for child abuse in Philippines

By AAP Newswire

Feb 1, 2022

Young children by the sea in Manila (file image) — A Brisbane man has been jailed for eight years for abusing children in the Philippines. -EPA

A Brisbane man who abused children during trips to the Philippines after communicating with them on social media from Australia has been jailed.

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John Joseph Power was first charged in September 2019 with possessing child exploitation material found on his phone when he arrived on a flight from the Philippines.

But detectives examining the man's devices found evidence he had abused children.

Authorities in the Philippines rescued five children in the Visayas region in 2019 as a result of the investigation.

Power pleaded guilty to 17 offences and was sentenced in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday.

The charges included a count of persistent sexual activity outside Australia which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years' imprisonment.

That offence was committed over more than three weeks in September 2019.

The 57-year-old was sentenced to eight years behind bars.

He will be eligible for parole on January 30, 2026.

AFP Constable Sharlene Hamblin said international borders were not a deterrence to the Federal Police when it came to protecting children from exploitation and abuse.

"We have strong partnerships in the Philippines and we all have the same goal of stopping those people who seek to harm children and ending the cycle of abuse," she said in a statement.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press