Australian Admits Cambodian Child Sex Crimes

Australia: A court journalist writing for 10 News First Adelaide has tweeted that an Australian national in Adelaide has admitted to sex offences against Cambodian children.

Kate Somers tweeted the following:

JUST IN: The identity of an Adelaide father and businessman who’s admitted to 11 child sex offences can now be revealed. 46-year-old Geoffrey Moyle committed the majority of offences against vulnerable children in Cambodia between 2002-2005.

UPDATE: The News has been released on 10 News First

Sources say he began working for numerous NGO and AusAid contractors and programs in Cambodia in 2002

Moyle, who previously could not be named for legal reasons was formally charged in 2019.

 AFP statement dated 25 June read:

“A 46-year-old Adelaide man has been charged with multiple child exploitation offences following an investigation by the South Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (SA-JACET), which comprises of members from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and South Australia Police.

In February 2019, the SA JACET received a referral from the Queensland Police Service identifying a user linked to an IP address in Adelaide allegedly posting child exploitation material on an image-hosting website.

The SA JACET commenced an investigation and executed a search warrant at a residential premise in the Adelaide suburb of Westbourne Park in May 2019. Police seized a USB allegedly containing child exploitation material and arrested a 46-year-old man.

Search warrants executed today in Adelaide resulted in the man, who was on bail, being arrested on new charges. A number of electronic devices believed to contain evidence of the offending were also seized.

The investigation evolved once an analysis of information provided by international law enforcement partners identified a series of alleged offences conducted by the man while in Cambodia between 2002 and 2005.

Police will allege in court the man sexually abused children in Cambodia between 2002 and 2005.”

He was originally charged with

• Two counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 16 while outside Australia, contrary to Crimes Act 1914 (Cth).  The maximum penalty for each offence is 17 years imprisonment.
• Six counts of sexual conduct involving child under 16 while outside Australia, contrary to section 50BC of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth).  The maximum penalty for each offence is 12 years imprisonment.

The latest report from 10 News First in Australia says that Moyle had been fighting to keep his name from being released for the sake of his children.

When approached for a comment on the case Mr. James McCabe of the Child Protection Unit in Cambodia acknowledged his team were aware of the case.

In a statement given to CNE, Mr. McCabe said:

” It is a credit to the SAPolice, FedPol and the Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team that they were able to uncover the abuse that Moyle had inflicted over many years while working in a variety of positions. I am aware that investigations have been undertaken in regards to his activities while he was in and visiting Cambodia from 2002 to as recently as 2018. Cambodian authorities are cooperating with the investigation into Moyle.

It shows the commitment from all agencies including the Cambodians to combating and prosecuting person that abuse children no matter where you are from. ”