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The deputy principal of Melbourne catholic school was at the Magistrates Court last week on child porn charges, according to media reports.The deputy principal is charged with accessing child abuse material, knowingly possessing material and drug possession. His arrest follow raids last month across Victoria, in which police allegedly found child sex dolls, child abuse material, illegal fireworks, a samurai sword, and illicit drugs. The material captured includes imagery featuring newborn babies.Thirteen men aged between 19-62 have been charged so far, and face 10 years in prison. Seven more have been arrested.According to Fairfax, the raid was a joint effort between Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police, and took in homes spanning 19 suburbs and a single country town.Speaking to media yesterday, Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said police believe the children in the material were outside Australia."[The imagery] involves [the victims] in sexually provocative poses, it involves them being subject to violence, it involves them being in degraded acts, and it also involves torture," Patton said.
"This is horrendous. To view this material, to make this material, to share this material, it's abhorrent, its offensive and it's disgusting."Patton also warned anyone accessing "millions" of child abuse videos and photos in Australia that they were not escaping police attention: "If they're naive enough to sit at home and think they're not going to be targeted, they've got another thing coming," he said.Another man charged after the raid was a primary school teacher working as a school office administrator.The deputy principal, who will reappear in court on July 6, is thought to have received an interim suspension by the Victorian Institute of Teaching, The Age reports.
According to a statement from Tim Hogan, the principal of St John's Regional College: "The staff member has had no contact with students since the school was made aware of the allegations."
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