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ABC News
ABC News
National

Man charged over alleged filming of child in Cairns public pool change room

A Far North Queensland man is facing additional charges after allegedly filming children at a public swimming pool.

Cairns police charged the 23-year-old Clifton Beach man last month with indecent treatment of a child under 16 after they received reports that the man had been filming at least one child while in change rooms at the Tobruk Memorial Pools in the Cairns CBD.

Detective Inspector Mick Searle said the subsequent "examining of a range of devices" had led to an additional three charges of indecent treatment of a child under 16 and seven counts of observations or recordings in breach of privacy.

He said the investigation would continue and urged anyone with information to come forward.

"We will always listen to that information because again, these are obviously very serious offences," he said.

"Any of these [behaviours] that pose a threat to public safety in these sorts of environments are very important to us."

Mission beach child exploitation

Meanwhile, in a separate matter, a 44-year-old Mission Beach man has been charged with child exploitation offences after a six-month investigation.

It comes after police searched a Boyett Road property in Mission Beach in June.

Detectives seized several electronic devices which they say contained child abuse material.

Inspector Searle said the man had been charged with one count each of use of a carriage service to access child abuse material, use of a carriage service to transmit, make available, publish or promote child abuse material and possession of child exploitation material.

He said the investigation was ongoing.

"What this investigation has also highlighted is … we will remind everyone that everything that they do online leaves a trace," he said.

He urged parents to be aware of their child's movements online.

"From a victim perspective, especially parents of children who are online, using social media or accessing websites, that care's got to be taken and supervision needs to be exercised," he said.

"If your child raises any concerns regarding communication they've had on social media, or if they're contacted by people who they don't know, and that raises concerns, we want those people to contact Crime Stoppers, Policelink, visit their local police station and make those reports known to us."

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