Barnawartha resident Phillip John Cooper was arrested at an airport on November 7, 2019, on suspicion of abuse offences against children.

His phone was checked by Australian Border Force officers, followed by a search of his North East home the following day.

Cooper recently returned to court in Melbourne, where he pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in underage sex, encouraging a child sex offence overseas, soliciting child pornography, and causing child abuse material to be transmitted.

Federal police had alleged the man paid for live-distance child exploitation.

It was alleged that his phone contained sexual conversations asking for the ages of girls, and other devices had videos of him engaging in sex acts with children.

He entered pleas to five charges with 14 other charges withdrawn in the Magistrates Court.

Cooper will face the County Court on August 25.

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He is due to formally enter pleas in the court on that date.

The case led to nine children being saved, and a Philippines woman being arrested, in February.

A 42-year-old woman was arrested in Angeles City, north of Manila, as part of the investigation.

It's alleged she facilitated the online abuse.

At the time of the arrest, Detective Superintendent Jayne Crossling said AFP officers worked to rescue vulnerable children.

"It is about the children we save," she said.

"Whether children are in Australia or overseas, our teams never give up because they know that every day we can't identify a child is another day they are being abused."

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