A man has been arrested and charged with 168 offences including rape, possessing child exploitation material and deprivation of liberty, Queensland police say.
The 42-year-old Gold Coast man was arrested at Brisbane airport on Monday night, when he returned from Thailand where he had been in prison for similar charges, Detective Superintendent Kerry Johnson told reporters on Tuesday.
The offences were allegedly committed on the Gold Coast between 2003 and 2005.
The charges relate to one child, and he was known to the family, police say.
Johnson declined to comment if the child exploitation material was produced as part of a pedophile ring.
The man had travelled to Thailand on a holiday before police started investigating the allegations in 2005.
The man was charged with:
- 74 counts of possessing child exploitation material
- 39 counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16
- 29 counts of rape
- seven counts of deprivation of liberty
- six counts of involve child in the making of child exploitation material
- six counts of make child exploitation material
- five counts of torture
- two counts of serious assault
The protracted investigation involved officers from the Gold Coast CIB with assistance of members of Taskforce Argos, the Queensland Police Service responsible for the investigation of on-line child exploitation and abuse.
The man reportedly did not apply for bail in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday.