Indian to be deported after two months' jail over child porn

An Indian national will be deported from Australia after serving two months in jail for possessing child pornography and other abhorrent material, the media reported on Thursday.

The nine videos -- which included bestiality and other severely offensive content -- were found on two mobile phones owned by 32-year-old Manpreet Singh during a baggage search at Perth Airport after he flew in to the city from Kuala Lumpur earlier this week.

His phones were seized and his tourist visa was cancelled. Later, Singh pleaded guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court to two Commonwealth charges and was sentenced on Thursday, the Daily Mail reported.

Australian Border Force (ABF) Regional Commander for Western Australia Rod O'Donnell expressed concern over the number of individuals found in possession of illegal materials, according to Perth Now. 

"Visitors need to be aware that possession of objectionable material is viewed very seriously under Australian law.

"The maximum penalty for the importation of child exploitation material is 10 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $525,000," O'Donnell said. 

"Tackling child exploitation is an operational priority for the ABF and our officers are highly skilled at identifying people at our airports who are attempting to carry this abhorrent material across the border," he added. 

The incident came after a total of 223 passengers at Australian airports had child exploitation material seized in 2018, as authorities work to crack down on paedophiles.-IANS