A Current Affair journalist Ben McCormack was snared by police who were investigating a nationwide paedophile ring, according to a report in The West Australian newspaper.
The reporter was arrested last month after West Australian police found the child-abusing group’s membership list, the newspaper claimed. This information was given to police around Australia that hunt online predators. The story does not make clear how this move led police to arrest McCormack.
Members of the group include school teachers, and the ringleader, whose arrest led to police finding the membership list, is currently facing 35 charges including child rape, The West Australian wrote.
McCormack, who was arrested last month, failed to appear for his first scheduled court appearance last week, with his lawyer Sam Macedone presenting a medical certificate as evidence that the reporter was in hospital. He is currently on bail and has not entered a plea.
Macedone has said that the charges against McCormack had “nothing to do with usual child pornography”.
“None of the charges that have been levelled against him involves pictures or explicit details of young kids,” he said, according to reports.
McCormack was hospitalised after he was arrested on child on charges of using a carriage service to send child abuse material.
A Current Affair, which has a long history of covering child abuse cases, has pledged to follow McCormack’s case without fear or favour.
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