SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man has been charged in Australia for importing a childlike sex doll.
The 26-year-old, who is in Australia on a student visa, was arrested in Perth on Thursday (Jan 9) after border officials intercepted a parcel at an air cargo depot on Christmas Eve.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe parcel, shipped from China, was X-rayed and found to contain a silicone female childlike sex doll, said the Australian Border Force in a news release.
The man, who was not identified, was subsequently arrested and charged with importing the sex doll.
He was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Perth Magistrates Court on Jan 17.
If found guilty of importing child abuse material, he could be jailed for 10 years, fined up to A$525,000 (S$486,500), or both.
AdvertisementAdvertisementBorder force officers have seized increasing numbers of such imported sex dolls, which are an emerging form of child abuse material, said ABF Investigations Acting Commander Nicholas Walker.
“Dolls that are manufactured for a sexual purpose that depict a child under the age of 18 are classified as ‘objectionable goods’ and are prohibited from being imported into Australia," he said.
Tackling child abuse material is an "operational priority" for the force, he added.
The Australian government last year introduced legislation barring the possession of childlike sex dolls, with offenders facing up to 15 years in jail.
The definition of "child abuse material" in the country's Criminal Code was also amended to "put beyond doubt" that it is an offence to use the Internet to advertise or solicit, or use a postal service to send, a childlike sex doll, added ABF.
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