A Melbourne man will spend at least eight years behind bars after six sex-trafficked children were rescued in the Philippines.
Specialist Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team officers tracked the 61-year-old down after they launched an investigation in 2018 into a NSW man who was sexually abusing children in South East Asia.
The NSW man found the children through a child sex facilitator in the Philippines, who was later arrested in February 2019.
Six children were rescued as part of a sting into the facilitator and, in February 2020, Australian Federal Police officers travelled to the Philippines to interview the rescued children.
They identified the 61-year-old Melbourne man as another of their abusers.
Police arrested him in Sydney after he travelled there from Singapore in November 2021.
He was extradited to Melbourne, where he ultimately pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria to three counts of raping a child while outside of Australia.
The man was on Tuesday sentenced to 11 years' prison with a non-parole period of eight.
He had been on remand since November 2021, police said.
“Our investigators are committed to identifying these offenders wherever they may reside in the world,” AFP Leading Senior Constable Sharer said.
“Trying to hide these abhorrent actions by travelling overseas will not stop us from locating offenders, seizing evidence and putting them before the courts.
“The (AFP) will continue to work tirelessly to identify and prosecute those preying on children.”
Police urged anyone with information about child abusers to contact the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.
