A former civilian police employee and awarded community volunteer has been released from custody, accused of possessing child abuse material.
Jamal Box, 39, sat with his head hung in Newcastle Police Station on Friday as his lawyer made a successful application in bail court.
Lake Macquarie detectives raided a home at Cameron Park the day before and allegedly seized five mobile phones, eight laptops and a number of USB drives Box had in his possession.
Prosecutors allege police saw about 50 images of concern in a locked folder on a phone before they ceased the review due to the content. Box was arrested at the scene.
The devices will be forensically examined to determine the alleged number of images and videos relating to child abuse material.
The court heard there were about 52,000 pictures and images in the locked folder.
The court heard Box, who was named Lake Macquarie City Council's Volunteer of the Year in 2026 for his work with the NSW State Emergency Service, told police he had some of the images for the past "25 years".
Judge James Viney said this was of grave concern to the court.
Prosecutors opposed bail and alleged the amount of content, some of which police say involved young girls, was "damaging and disturbing" and had been downloaded over a period of time.
The court heard Box was seeking treatment for mental health, had no criminal history, was employed full-time and held a voluntary role in the community.
Judge Viney granted bail on strict conditions, including that he live at an address with no children, report to police, not apply for a passport and have restricted access to devices that connect to the internet.
Box has not been required to enter a plea to the single charge. He will face Belmont Local Court next month.
Police said Box was a civilian employee who worked for NSW Police between October 2019 and January 2020.
