Queensland man charged with 596 child abuse offences
A report from Theguardian says a Queensland man charged with 596 child abuse offences used false identities online to groom and coerce children, mostly aged seven to 15, in Australia and overseas. Ethan Mitch Burns-Dederer, 27, from Maryborough was arrested in February 2025, refused bail and is due to appear in a Brisbane court on Thursday.
Police released details on Thursday after 12 months spent attempting to identify alleged victims from about 23,000 photographs and videos stored on the man’s hard drive; investigation codename Xray Wick has identified 259 child victims, and police allege there were 459 victims in total, with inquiries ongoing interstate and overseas.
He faces 244 charges of producing child abuse material for use through a carriage service, 163 counts of using a carriage service to procure persons under 16, and 87 counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child while using a carriage service.
Australia, Maryborough