Access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service

Legislation: Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) s 474.22

Maximum penalty: 15 years imprisonment

Period: 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2024

Jurisdiction: higher courts

Charges

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Cases

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All outcomes

Males

Females

Aged under 25

Aged 25 to 54

Aged 55 and over

*Note: unavailable options have under 10 cases

Charge data

In the higher courts, 458 charges of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service were sentenced in the five years to 30 June 2024. The most common sentence for a charge of this offence was imprisonment (93.4% or 428 charges).

On SACStat, a charge is a single count of a sentenced offence. Charge data is most useful in understanding how a specific crime is usually sentenced.

Case data

In 69 cases sentenced in the higher courts in the five years to 30 June 2024, access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service was the principal proven offence (the most serious crime in the case). Among the 69 cases, 68 people were male and 1 person was female. The most common outcome for cases was imprisonment with a recognizance release order with later release (33.3% or 23 cases).

A case is a collection of one or more charges against a person or company sentenced at the one hearing. Case data is most useful in understanding the total sentence usually imposed on people found guilty of a particular crime.

Bar graph showing sentence types imposed for charges of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 1**: Sentencing outcomes for all charges of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 458 charges**

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths for charges of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 2**: Imprisonment lengths for charges of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 416 charges**
**Range and median**: The shortest imprisonment length is 0.08 years, the longest is 7 years, and the median is 1.33 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 1.33 years and half are above.
**Note**: The graph only includes imprisonment that was not part of an aggregate sentence (non-aggregate imprisonment).

Stacked bar graph showing sentences imposed each year for charges of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 3**: Sentencing outcomes for all charges of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service by financial year
**Number: 458 charges**

Bar graph showing the number of charges each year for the offence of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 4**: Number of charges of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service by financial year
**Number: 458 charges**

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths each year for charges of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 5**: Average imprisonment lengths for charges of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service by financial year
**Number: 416 charges**
**Note**: The graph only includes imprisonment that was not part of an aggregate sentence (non-aggregate imprisonment).

Bar graph showing sentence types for all offenders for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 6A**: Sentencing outcomes for all people for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 69 cases**

Bar graph showing sentence types for male offenders for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 6B**: Sentencing outcomes for males for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 68 cases**

Bar graph showing sentence types for offenders aged 25 to 54 for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 6E**: Sentencing outcomes for people aged 25 to 54 for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 50 cases**

Bar graph showing sentence types for offenders aged 55 and over for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 6F**: Sentencing outcomes for people aged 55 and over for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 12 cases**

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 7A**: Imprisonment lengths for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 60 cases**, including imprisonment only (15 cases), imprisonment with a recognizance release order where the person is released immediately (22 cases), and imprisonment with a recognizance release order where the person is released after serving some time in prison (23 cases).
**Range and median**: The shortest imprisonment length is 0.08 years, the longest is 10 years, and the median is 1.25 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 1.25 years and half are above.

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths for males for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 7B**: Imprisonment lengths for males for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 59 cases**
**Range and median**: The shortest imprisonment length is 0.08 years, the longest is 10 years, and the median is 1.25 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 1.25 years and half are above.

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths for people aged 25 to 54 for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 7E**: Imprisonment lengths for people aged 25 to 54 for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 43 cases**
**Range and median**: The shortest imprisonment length is 0.08 years, the longest is 10 years, and the median is 1.5 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 1.5 years and half are above.

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths for people aged 55 and over for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 7F**: Imprisonment lengths for people aged 55 and over for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 12 cases**
**Range and median**: The shortest imprisonment length is 0.33 years, the longest is 6.5 years, and the median is 0.75 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 0.75 years and half are above.

Bar graph showing imprisonment lengths without a recognizance release order for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 7G**: Imprisonment lengths without a recognizance release order (RRO) for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 15 cases**
**Range and median**: The shortest imprisonment length is 3.25 years, the longest is 10 years, and the median is 4.5 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 4.5 years and half are above.

Bar graph showing non-parole periods for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 8**: Non-parole periods for all people for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 15 cases**
**Note**: Imprisonment terms do not include a recognizance release order.
**Range and median**: The shortest non-parole period is 1.67 years, the longest is 6.58 years, and the median is 3 years, meaning that half of the non-parole periods are below 3 years and half are above.

Bar graph showing recognizance release order lengths for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 9**: Imprisonment lengths and recognizance release orders lengths for imprisonment with RRO for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 45 cases**
**Ranges and medians**: The shortest imprisonment length is 0.08 years, the longest is 1.67 years, and the median is 0.91 years, meaning that half of the imprisonment lengths are below 0.91 years and half are above. The shortest recognizance release order length is 0.17 years, the longest is 2.75 years, and the median is 1.25 years, meaning that half of the recognizance release order lengths are below 1.25 years and half are above

Stacked bar graph showing sentences imposed each year for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 10**: Sentencing outcomes for all cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service by financial year
**Number: 69 cases**

Bar graph showing the number of cases each year for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 11**: Number of cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service for all people by financial year
**Number: 69 cases**

Bar graph showing the average imprisonment length each year for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 12A**: Average imprisonment lengths for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service by financial year
**Number: 60 cases**

Bar graph showing the average imprisonment length each year (excluding combined orders) for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 12B**: Average imprisonment lengths (excluding combined orders) for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service by financial year
**Number: 15 cases**

Bar graph showing the average imprisonment length and average non-parole period for each year for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 12C**: Average imprisonment lengths and non-parole periods (NPPs) for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service by financial year
**Number: 15 cases**
**Note**: *NPP Cases* in the graph indicates that only cases with a non-parole period are included.

Bar graph showing the average imprisonment length (when combined with a recognizance release order) for each year for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 12D**: Average imprisonment lengths with a recognizance release order (RRO) for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service by financial year
**Number: 45 cases**

Bar graph showing age groups of offenders for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 13A**: Ages of offenders (where age is known) for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 69 cases**

Bar graph showing gender of offenders for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 13B**: Gender of offenders (where gender is known) for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 69 cases**

Bar graph showing the number of charges in cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service — **Figure 13C**: Number of charges per case (of any sentenced offence) for cases of access, transmit, publish or solicit child abuse material using a carriage service
**Number: 69 cases**