Michael Brian Fox's child abuse material, bestiality material charges in Armidale court

Michael Brian Fox was facing four allegations when he fronted Armidale Local Court for the first time in February, but now faces nine.

The 38-year-old was not required to enter pleas to any of the charges when his case was called in Armidale Local Court on Wednesday.

Three additional charges of possessing bestiality material, as well as two of possessing child abuse material, have since been laid, court documents show.

They come on top of two counts of possessing child abuse material; and one count each of possessing bestiality material; and of using a carriage service to access child abuse material.

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Magistrate Mark Richardson adjourned the matter to mid-May.

Fox has been on strict bail since his arrest on January 4, and Mr Richardson continued his conditions in court.

Prosecutors will consider which charges to push ahead with before the matter returns to court.

Strike force detectives, backed by New England police officers, raided Fox's Armidale home about 8am on January 4, this year, armed with a Commonwealth search warrant.

Extensive investigations led officers to home in on Fox, after detectives from the State Crime Command's Sex Crimes Squad's Child Exploitation Internet Unit began looking into his online activity in 2022.

Sex Crimes Squad detectives said at the time of Fox's arrest that they had been investigating him for allegedly using a peer-to-peer file sharing program.

He is accused of sharing a number of files deemed to be child abuse material.

Police said a number of items were seized during the property search in January, including a computer and other electronic devices.

The new charges come after police said the items seized would be sent away to a police laboratory to undergo forensic examinations as part of the investigation.

Fox was arrested and later charged at Armidale Police Station by detectives from the specialist sex squad.

Police allege Fox possessed child abuse material on his personal computer, as well as on a Toshiba external hard drive.

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