Landon Germanotta-Mills, 26, was arrested in Waterloo last week and charged with multiple counts of possessing child abuse and bestiality material. Photo: NSW Police via ABC News
Australian police have busted what they allege is an international "satanic" child sex abuse material ring operating out of the suburbs of Sydney.
Four men were last week charged by the NSW Police's Child Exploitation Internet Unit after an investigation into "ritualistic and satanic"-themed child abuse, police said.
NSW Police allege a group of four Sydney men at the centre of their investigation were involved in allegedly distributing the material of children online.
Strike Force Constantine was set up to investigate reports of satanic child abuse material in April, but uncovered clues that four Sydney men were part of an international group last month.
Police-supplied vision shows the moment tactical officers smashed down the door of Landon Germanotta-Mills's Waterloo unit last Thursday morning.
The 26-year-old has been charged with several counts of making available, accessing and possessing child abuse material.
He has also been charged with two counts each of disseminating and possessing bestiality material.
NSW Police storming the Waterloo unit of Landon Germanotta-Mills last Thursday. Photo: NSW Police via ABC News
Police allege he "played a leading role" in what they described was a network of Sydney paedophiles using a foreign-based website to share the material of minors.
Magistrate Margaret Quinn described the material found by police as "disturbing" as Mr Germanotta-Mills's lawyer Stefan Skopelja applied for bail last Friday.
Mr Germanotta-Mills, who was watching the hearing from custody at Surry Hills Police Station, was refused bail and will remain in custody until he fronts court again next year.
In Malabar police also arrested three other men - aged 46, 42 and 39 - and charged them with multiple counts of possessing child abuse and bestiality material.
They too were refused bail by police and faced a Bail Division Court last Friday.
Sex Crimes Squad Commander Jayne Doherty said police had so far found thousands of "abhorrent" images on devices seized during last week's raids.
"Police will allege in court that this international group were engaging in conversations and the sharing of material which depicted child abuse and the torture of children, involving symbols and rituals linked to Satanism and the occult," she said.
"Police will allege in court that the initial examination of those devices has discovered thousands of videos depicting the abuse of live children aged between five and 12 years of age.
"Amongst these deplorable images were also a number of videos depicting the sexual abuse of animals."
Superintendent Doherty said NSW Police and its partner agencies were combing through the files to help identify victims from Australia and overseas.
She added that officers swooped on the group on Thursday over concerns for the safety of children in the community.
"Due to the nature of the material that they were sharing and the conversations that we became aware of, we were concerned about any children that these people might come in contact with as a result of that," Superintendent Doherty said.
- ABC
