A 25 year old Nepali student residing in Adelaide has been arrested for threatening to share intimate videos and images of a former partner. The man was arrested by AFP investigators yesterday at an inner city Adelaide home, in one for the first sextortion cases led by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
Sextortion refers to a form of blackmail in which sexual information or images are used to extort sexual favors from the victim. Social media and text messages are often the source of the sexual material and the threatened means of sharing it with others.
The man was presented before Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday, where it was alleged he threatened to upload intimate videos and images of his ex-girlfriend online after she married another man in the UK.
AFP Superintendent, Crime Operations South Australia, Gail McClure alleged the accused man told his victim that police would not be able to prosecute him because he was not an Australian citizen and she was living in a different country.
“This case shows it does not matter where you live, the AFP is uniquely positioned with officers based around the world and with strong international networks, to investigate and prosecute crimes conducted across international borders,” Supt McClure said.
The AFP investigated this matter after receiving a referral from overseas law enforcement partners, with the alleged offender in Australia and the victim overseas.
The accused was remanded in custody until another hearing next month. Police seized electronic devices, which are being forensically examined.
The man has been charged with:
- one count of aggravated use of a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence involving the distribution of private sexual material, contrary to section 474.17A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for this offence is five years imprisonment.
The court has asked to The 25 year old attends the University of South Australia and also works as an Uber Eats driver. He has been living in South Australia since June.
