An Australian man has been charged with child abuse-related offences after an investigation uncovered more than 23,000 videos and images linked to 459 victims, some as young as seven.
Queensland Police said a 27-year-old suspect, initially arrested in February 2025, has now been charged with 596 offences.
Detectives alleged he actively targeted children, most aged between seven and 15, on social media and gaming platforms in Australia and overseas between 2018 and 2025.
The investigation, known as Operation Xray Wick, has so far identified 259 children. In a statement, the force said it was working with international partners “to ensure every victim is identified and supported”.
Police allege the man, who has not been named, created multiple online profiles, posing as male and female to groom victims and record thousands of images and videos.
Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sexual Crime Group released body-worn camera footage of their operation in 2025, showing officers seizing electronic devices from the man’s home in Maryborough, about 140 miles (230km) north of Brisbane.
Body-worn camera footage showing officers seizing evidence as part of their investigation. Pic: Queensland Police
Acting chief superintendent Denzil Clark, from Queensland Police, said: “Due to the volume of images and videos of children on the alleged offender’s devices, the process of identification took time, skill and commitment.
“This is extremely concerning and disturbing offending. We are seeing an increasing prevalence of children being groomed, coerced, or threatened into taking and sending sexual images of themselves, often through popular apps, games, and social media sites.
“The trauma that this causes a child is significant.”
The man is due to appear before Brisbane Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
He is charged with: 244 counts of producing child abuse material for use through a carriage service; 163 counts of using a carriage service to procure persons under 16 years of age; and 87 counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child using a carriage service.
