Australian television reporter charged with sending child pornography material

An Australian television reporter was arrested on Thursday (6 April) and charged with using a carriage service for child pornography material.

"Police will allege in court the man was engaged in sexually explicit conversations about children with an adult male and discussed child pornography," New South Wales Police said in a statement.

The authorities have released blurred images of Ben McCormack, 42, who is a popular reporter for the local A Current Affair (ACA) programme, the BBC reported.

The police said they raided an apartment and the offices of his employer – the Nine Network – from where they seized computers, a mobile phone and an electronic storage device.

Meanwhile, Nine Network suspended McCormack, an employee for 25 years, after his arrest and assured to co-operate with police.

"While justice must take its course, and given the serious nature of the allegations, Nine has taken a strong decision and immediately suspended Ben McCormack," the broadcasting company said.

ACA has also assured its viewers that it would cover the allegations without any biasness.

"A Current Affair has a long history of pursuing offenders in these types of cases and we intend to cover this story without fear or favour.

"We stress — these charges relate to Ben McCormack's alleged personal conduct and in no way reflect his behaviour within A Current Affair or the Nine Network." ACA stand-in host Leila McKinnon told the Daily Telegraph.

McCormack was granted conditional bail to appear Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on 1 May.