Twenty six men Victorian men have been charged with over 1,000 child abuse-related offences after a covert police operation uncovered a secret online child exploitation group.

The year-long joint investigation by the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police uncovered the men had been using an encrypted messaging application to share both abhorrent text and image-based material, and source children to sexually abuse.

Many of the men charged have now been convicted and sentenced to terms of imprisonment, while others remain before the courts. 

It marks one of the most significant online child abuse investigations in Australia.

More to come. 

26 men from Victoria have been charged with over 1,000 child abuse-related offences