A 27-year-old man from Maryborough, Queensland, has been charged with 596 child abuse offences following a major police investigation that identified 259 child victims. Ethan Mitch Burns-Dederer was arrested in February 2025 and refused bail, with police alleging he used false identities online to groom and coerce children, mostly aged seven to 15, in Australia and overseas.
Police say they recovered 23,000 photographs and videos from a hard drive belonging to the man. The investigation, codenamed Xray Wick, has so far identified 259 victims, though police allege there were 459 in total. The charges include 244 counts 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.
Police allege the man “actively targeted children on social media and gaming platforms between 2018 and 2025”. He is said to have created multiple online profiles, posing as both males and females, and to have recorded his interactions, saving images and videos to named folders. Acting Chief Superintendent Denzil Clark of the Queensland Police state crime command described the offending as “extremely concerning and disturbing”.
Clark noted the increasing prevalence of children being groomed, coerced, or threatened into sending sexual images of themselves through popular apps, games, and social media sites. He urged parents and caregivers to take active measures to ensure the online safety of young people. The investigation involved child abuse detectives, digital forensic experts, interstate and international police, and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.
