Sydney Party Producer And Media Advisor Charged Over Child Abuse Material

Sydney senior media advisor and LGBTQIA+ dance party producer Matthew John Bachl, 38, has been arrested and charged with possessing child abuse material and a prohibited drug.

Bachl, a senior media adviser with Corrective Services NSW and a former Nine Network producer, was taken into custody on Friday, March 28, following a police investigation.

Officers executed a search warrant at his Chatswood residence in Sydney, where they allegedly discovered electronic devices containing child abuse material and a quantity of gamma butyrolactone (GBL), a prohibited drug commonly associated with party scenes.

A spokesperson for NSW Police confirmed the arrest, stating:

“Following an investigation by Sydney City Police Area Command under Strike Force Saltia, detectives executed a search warrant at a Chatswood unit just after 6am on Friday 28 March, seizing electronic devices and gamma butyrolactone (GBL). The occupant, a 38-year-old man, was arrested and taken to Chatswood Police Station.”

Bachl was subsequently charged with two counts of possessing child abuse material and one count of possessing a prohibited drug.

He appeared before Hornsby Local Court, where he was granted conditional bail. He is scheduled to return to court on April 9.

Following the arrest, Corrective Services NSW confirmed that Bachl had been suspended from his role without pay. A spokesperson for the Department of Communities and Justice stated:

“As this matter is before the court, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

Bachl had been a well-known figure in both the media and LGBTQIA+ communities. Before joining Corrective Services NSW, he spent 11 years at the Nine Network, where he worked as a senior supervising producer and previously served as the bureau chief for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

He is also recognised within the LGBTQIA+ nightlife scene as a DJ and the producer of Apollo The Party, a popular dance event held during Sydney Mardi Gras.

Authorities have not disclosed further details regarding the nature of the child abuse material allegedly in Bachl’s possession.

The case remains ongoing, with further developments expected in the coming weeks.

Bachl will appear in Hornsby Local Court on April 9.