Jason William Forbes: Predator who plotted abduction caught viewing child abuse in kitchen as cops arrived

Authorities have revealed shocking details about the moment they raided the home of a Perth man who was plotting to abduct and sexually abuse a child in his attic. Jason William Forbes’ sickening plan was spelled out in a Perth court last month after investigators discovered disturbing internet searches and a “mind-map” of scribblings he left all over a mirror inside his Baldivis house. As police executed a search warrant on his home, child exploitation detectives and ABF officers uncovered chilling evidence which showed Forbes was building a fortified and noise-proof torture cell in the loft of his home where he intended to hold a child captive. Details of the case and the identity of the man behind it were revealed on Tuesday, but Forbes’ downfall began when Australia Border Force officers first intercepted a customised child-like sex doll destined for Forbes in mid-2024. ABF Inspector David Williamson on Wednesday said Forbes was initially resistant to cooperating with investigators before WA Police had to be called to the property. “The offender was initially resistant to letting us into the home, but once we got into the premises, it was apparent why he didn’t want us in the premises,” he said. “There was an electronic device displaying child abuse material on the kitchen bench. “There was the additional (child-like sex) doll in the bedroom. “We sighted the mirror and were into the car at that stage, we immediately realised that it was beyond the remit of the Australian Border Force in terms of it was going to lead to domestic state law issues, and we contacted our partner agency at the (WA Police) child exploitation operations area, who quickly attended and took over the evidence gathering.” The search warrant on his home occurred around 4am — about 10 days after ABF intercepted a child-like sex doll intended for Forbes. “I can say that he wasn’t expecting us. He was quite stunned,” Insp. Williamson said. Insp. Williamson said the ABF had intercepted 47 child-like sex dolls in the past year, which are commonly sourced from China. He said four alleged offenders in WA were before the courts for related offences. Detective acting superintendent Eamon Flanagan, of WA Police’s sex crime division, said two kids from the same family— aged between eight and 10 — had been captured on the offenders car camera near his home about two months before his arrest. Those images were saved to a folder by Forbes named “X Marks the spot”. “It was one family in particular where the recording (showed) children in the front yard,” Det. a/Supt. Flanagan said. “We know from the recording, that it was certainly on the one occasion, which was approximately about two months before he was apprehended.” “From that time, because the vehicle he was using is a high tech vehicle, (he then visited) childcare centers and other areas with children as well. Det. A/Supt. Flanagan said there was no evidence to suggest any other children had been seen as a potential target even though he had previously travelled to public locations in his Tesla, including nearby schools or child care centres. “Unfortunately, obviously, as a parent in Western Australia, they would have been deeply concerned. “Every child in WA should be able to play in their front yard without fear of somebody potentially driving by and grabbing them. “There is that community message there for children to be aware and to make sure you keep an eye on your kids. However, like I say, this is a rare event, and we do live in a safe community.” “The reality is it could have happened at any point, however, his planned intention probably required finishing of the alterations (to his attic).” Det. A/Supt. Flanagan said offenders who source child abuse material actively masked their identities when being asked how Forbes managed to avoid police detection despite holding a paedophilic interest in female children for 20 years. “We have scanning tools and a range of different activities that we do online to proactively identify people that are engaged in this.” “How he wasn’t identified for 20 years — I’m unable to really make any further comment.” Police said Forbes had a limited criminal record and that his previously offending was not sexual in nature. Det. A/Supt. Flanagan said details of his arrest were not shared with the public immediately due to ongoing investigations at the time, including whether he had acted alone. Photos released by WA District Court show a graphic illustration of Forbes monstrous intentions - the “mind-map” on a mirror in the main bedroom of the home, centred around the phrase “brainstorm”. Words listed included “stun gun, taser” alongside a possible kidnapping method - “grab and walk”. Forbes had even listed possible locations in which a kidnapping could occur, writing “fairs + markets” on the mirror. Officers also uncovered disturbing internet results in which Forbes had marked the locations of kindergartens in the Perth metropolitan area. District Court Judge Darren Renton, during his sentencing remarks last month, said Forbes’ disturbed internet searches were reflected in the mind-map on the mirror “setting out a plan to kidnap a child.” “You also used your Tesla to take a video of children aged eight and ten on the driveway of a residential premises in April of 2024,” Judge Renton said. “A still image was taken from that video and described with the address referred to by the prosecutor and saved to a folder named ‘X marks the spot’.” “The residence was less than two kilometres from your home.” Investigators located a fake police badge in the console of Forbes’ car. Judge Renton said he had intended to pretend to be a police officer in order to abduct a young child. He had also searched the “address of a notorious American sex offender who abducted and repeatedly raped an 11-year-old girl over an 18-year period.” Forbes was also in possession of a large cache of child exploitation material, in the tens of thousands, which included the abuse of infants. Judge Renton rejected Mr Forbes assertion that he never planned to have physical contact with a child and that his internet searches and mind-map were to be used in a “fictional novel”. “I further reject your claim that the fake police badge was possessed by you as a novelty in the manner you indicated, because you had liked dressing up,” Judge Renton said. Judge Renton added that there was no evidence to back up Forbes’ claim that the images he took of children using his Tesla would be used in a novel, describing his claim as “fanciful and lacking in substance”. Police were alerted to the then 37-year-old’s vile purchase of a custom child-like sex doll and a search warrant was conducted at his home in mid-2024, before the true extent of his calculating plans were unveiled. The maximum penalty for his attempt at possessing a child-like sex doll was 15 years imprisonment, the largest penalty of all his offences. Forbes pleaded guilty to all his offences, including possessing child exploitation material and using a carriage service to prepare or plan to engage in sexual activity with a child under 16, prior to receiving a seven year and five month sentence. Judge Renton described his conduct showed a “sustained intention that is chilling and which underscores the need for denunciation and community protection.” He is eligible for parole in December 2029, but the decision to release him will sit with the Commonwealth Attorney General.