A NSW Police sex crimes squad detective has urged parents to use the school holidays to talk with their kids about who they’re engaging with online, after an Illawarra man allegedly groomed a 14-year-old girl for sex.
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Detective Chief Inspector Mick Haddow has also put those who use the internet and telecommunication devices to “take advantage of the most vulnerable people in our society” on notice – saying police will eventually be “knocking on your door”.
The warning follows the arrest of a 19-year-old man in Unanderra on January 8 – the culmination of a two-month investigation by the NSW Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU).
Strike Force Trawler detectives nabbed the alleged internet predator after engaging with him online in November.
He has been charged and will face Wollongong Local Court next month.
Police allege the man believed he was speaking with a 14-year-old girl, engaged in conversations about sexual acts he wished to perform on the child, and sent sexually explicit images and video.
A mobile phone, a computer tablet and a number of electronic storage devices have been seized.
The investigation was sparked by a referral from Queensland Police’s online child exploitation task force.
Police allege the man was engaged in communication via a social networking site.
The allegations were reported to police in Queensland and handed to NSW detectives once the accused’s location was determined.
Detective Chief Inspector Haddow said tip-offs often came from members of the public, including via parents who reported concerns to local police stations.
“We tell parents we want them to talk to their kids about online safety, talk to their kids about who they talk to online,” he said.
“The particular matters that concern us, or that are a bit of a red flag, is where a child is communicating with someone that they’ve only ever met in that online environment.
“We’re not saying for a second that kids shouldn’t talk to friends as part of gaming, we’re not going to stop that, but where you’ve only ever talked to someone online … everything they tell you may not be the truth.”
Strike Force Trawler is an ongoing investigation by the CEIU into the sexual abuse and exploitation of children facilitated through the internet and related telecommunications devices.
The unit regularly conducts covert online investigations.
“The message for offenders is if you engage with kids online and want to try and take advantage of the most vulnerable people in our society, then you might eventually have us knocking on your door,” Detective Chief Inspector Haddow said.