A man will face court today charged over believing he was allegedly speaking with the mother of a nine-year-old girl about acts he wished to perform on her online.
Detectives from the Sex Crime Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit began engaging with a man in the Newcastle area in September last year and will allege in court he beloved he was having sexually-explicit conversations with the mother about her daughter online.
He was instead speaking to detectives.
Strike Force detectives, assisted by Newcastle City Police District, arrested a 40-year-old man at Mayfield about 8am yesterday.
A search warrant was executed at his home where officers seized electronic devices which will undergo further examination.
He was taken to Newcastle Police Station and charged with use carriage service transmit/publish/promote child abuse and refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court today.
Sex Crimes Squad
The Sex Crimes Squad comprises a number of investigative teams who lead investigations into alleged adult sex offenders, including the Child Exploitation Internet Unit, Child Protection Register, and Extended Supervision Order teams. Regular covert online investigations are conducted by the CEIU; and police in NSW work closely with their law-enforcement colleagues interstate and overseas.
Anyone with concerns about suspected child abuse or exploitation should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.