Dozens of children are rescued from a 'sick child sex ring' with kids allegedly abused at a NSW childcare centre after 14 men were arrested and hit with 828 charges including bestiality and offences against a one-year-old
Justin Kenneth Radford, 29, was arrested by the Australian Federal Police in February after he allegedly filmed himself sexually abusing children
Police have rescued 46 Australian children - including 16 from a child care centre - in one of the biggest alleged child sex abuse cases in the country's history.
Fourteen arrests have been made over what investigators have labelled 'abhorrent' systemic sexual abuse - with 828 charges laid.
The alleged offenders are accused of producing and sharing child abuse material to an online network.
Operation Arkstone was launched following the February arrest of Justin Radford, 30, in Wyong on the NSW Central Coast.
Police seized a number of devices from his home and discovered social media forums where some members were allegedly producing child abuse material, while others were accessing and circulating it.
Investigators have since uncovered more than a dozen alleged offenders from three states - NSW, Queensland and Western Australia - with more arrests expected.
Police have rescued 46 Australian children - including 16 from a child care centre - in one of the biggest alleged child sex abuse cases to rock the country
Operation Arkstone was launched after the arrest of Justin Radford, 30, in Wyong on the NSW Central Coast in February
The alleged offenders are aged from 20 to 48, with an average age of 28.
They include a childcare worker, volunteer soccer coach, disability support worker, an electrician, supermarket employee and chef.
In some of the most extreme cases, offenders allegedly recorded the abuse of the children and shared the footage online.
The victims ranged in age from 16 months to 15 years, with an average age of eight years.
Of the victims, 39 are from NSW, six are in WA and one is in Queensland.
One of the men accused of involvement is childcare worker Timothy Luke Doyle, 27, and his partner Steven Garrad, 22.
Police have since arrested more suspects and laid a total of 828 criminal charges in what they believe is an online domestic paedophile network
Pictured: An iPad seized by Federal Police during investigations in Queensland
Doyle is facing 303 charges including sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and producing and sharing child abuse materials.
He is accused of abusing 30 children, 16 of those at a childcare centre on the NSW Mid North Coast.
'Police will allege the man used his position as a child care worker, and other deceptive means in his personal life, to gain access to 30 children,' an AFP media release said.
Parents and carers at the centre were notified of the police investigation.
Police search the home of a suspect involved in an alleged child exploitation ring in Australia
Pictured: Two mobile phones seized by investigators during Operation Arkstone
Garrad is facing 189 charges, including participating in and recording and sharing child abuse material.
Jake Caldwell, a 27-year-old from Seaforth, has been charged with four offences related to possessing and accessing child abuse material following his arrest on November 3.
Radford has been charged with 89 offences, including 10 counts of sexual touching of a victim under 10, 12 counts of producing child abuse material and 22 counts of disseminating abuse material.
Grant Harden is accused of using his position as a soccer coach to allegedly abuse seven children. He has been hit with 44 charges.
Pictured: Australian Federal Police officers seized a USB during their investigations
Bestiality charges have also been laid in NSW in relation to four animals.
The investigation began in early 2020 after a tip-off from the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
The investigations have prompted more than 146 tip-offs to North America, Asia and Europe.
AFP Acting Commander Child Protection Operations Christopher Woods said investigators and forensic specialists from the AFP, NSW Police and U.S. Homeland Security Investigation have spent most of 2020 working tirelessly to make each arrest.
There have been 14 arrests made over what investigators have labelled as allegedly 'abhorrent' systemic sexual abuse
He said victims were often identified through seemingly minor details in photos and videos and the analysis was 'time-consuming and painstaking' but 'vital' for the rescue of the children.
'No child should be subjected to abuse and violence from people who hold high positions of trust in their lives, whether it be a family member, child care worker or soccer coach,' he said.
'These men allegedly produced child abuse material for the depraved pleasure of their peers with absolutely no thought to the lasting effects their actions would have on these children.
'Police will allege Operation Arkstone revealed a network of abuse, where the alleged offenders in the forums encouraged and emboldened each other to engage in acts of depravity and abuse of children.'