A 30-year-old South Australian man has been charged this week by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for possessing a child-like sex doll.

According to a joint media release by the AFP and South Australia Police, the man was charged late Tuesday by the South Australia Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (SA JACET) under new Commonwealth laws targeting child abuse-related offences.

If found guilty of possessing the anatomically-correct doll, the accused faces a potential 15-year jail term.

SA JACET launched an investigation into the man’s activities after receiving intelligence from the NSW Police Force and Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), with support from PayPal Australia.

The man had allegedly purchased the doll from a consignor based in China back in December 2018.

AFP Acting Commander South Australia Gail McClure said the dolls objectified children as sexual beings and could desensitise anyone who used them to the physical, emotional and psychological harm caused by sexual abuse.

“Some dolls are even robotic and designed to respond positively to the abuse,” she said.

“The Australian Federal Police does not condone any form of child exploitation, or activity of any kind that reinforces the sexualisation of children.

“This includes sexual gratification activity using items depicting children – these anatomically correct dolls are legally considered child exploitation material.

“This arrest highlights the collaborative work undertaken by the AFP and its partners to protect children and identify and prosecute anyone who seeks to exploit and harm them.”

In a post on Facebook, the AFP went on to say, “When activity like this reinforces the sexualisation of children we take action. There is no line when it comes to our children. Our tolerance for harming children is zero.”