A man who paid to watch children being sexually abused online in overseas live shows for years has been jailed for almost two decades, police say.
Kevin Raymond Doyle, 62, was also accused of travelling to the Philippines twice in a failed attempt to sexually abuse the children that featured in the livestreamed shows.
He pleaded guilty to almost 100 child abuse related offences after facilitating the sexual abuse of 25 children in the Philippines, including some with severe disabilities, police said.
He spent $5000 over three years to livestream 28 child sexual abuse shows from the Philippines, according to Australian Federal Police.
An investigation has to date led to the rescue of seven victims, aged five to 20.
The AFP probe was launched after officers stopped Doyle when he flew into Brisbane from the Philippines in October 2019 and searched his phone, finding child sexual abuse material.
The "prolific use" of live online child sexual abuse was discovered.
It referred to offending involving the purchase of live child abuse shows over video conferencing applications, the AFP said on Friday.
"Consumers will typically direct the abuse with victim children subjected to repeated, and increasingly degrading, sexual abuse over a prolonged period," the AFP said in a statement.
There was also evidence the Brisbane man had been communicating directly with child victims and detailing the sexual offences he intended to commit on them, the AFP said.
"He also travelled to the Philippines on two separate occasions with the intent to sexually abuse children he had observed being abused in the live shows," AFP said.
"However, he was unable to organise a meeting with those children after he arrived."
Information provided by the AFP led to the rescue of the seven victims and prosecution of three livestream facilitators by Filipino police.
Police said inquiries to locate the remaining victims and facilitators remained ongoing.
Doyle was sentenced for 98 offences in Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday.
He received a 19-year jail term with a non-parole period of 12 years, AFP said.
"Our investigators are relentless in their pursuit of anyone producing, sharing or accessing child abuse material," AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Louise McGregor said.
"We will continue to work with our domestic and international partners to bring these perpetrators to justice."
