Hunter man charged over child abuse offences
Editor’s note: Arrest footage is available on Hightail.
The Australian Federal Police has charged a 45-year-old man from the Hunter region with soliciting and sharing sexually explicit pictures with a juvenile girl while pretending to be a teacher at the girl’s school.
The man was arrested by members of the AFP Eastern Command Child Protection Operations team at his home yesterday, where he was charged with a series of child abuse offences relating to his interactions with the girl on social media platforms between 2015 and 2016. He is scheduled to appear before Newcastle Local Court on Friday, 17 July 2020.
The man has been charged with what is known as a ‘First Strike’ offence – two counts contrary to section 474.25A of the Criminal Code (Cth) – that results in a presumption against bail. This is the first time the new bail provisions have been enacted in NSW since the introduction of the legislation through Federal Parliament on 23 June 2020.
It will be alleged in court that the man initiated an online relationship with the girl through social media that involved grooming the girl, pretending he was one of her teachers and later sharing sexualised text and explicit images. This included online conversations which convinced the girl she was dealing with her teacher.
The girl later approached the teacher at her school through separate social media channels, who was unaware of what had occurred online with the man purporting to be him. The matter was referred to the AFP in September 2019, when investigators began making enquiries to determine what had actually occurred.
Extensive enquiries by AFP investigators led them to the 45-year-old man’s address. Investigators executed a search warrant at that address yesterday (Thursday, 16 July 2020). Two mobile phones, a laptop computer and an external hard drive were seized and will be the subject of further forensic analysis.
It will be alleged in court that AFP investigators found evidence the man had engaged in online conversations with other juveniles. Investigators are presently working to identify these juveniles to determine if they have been victims of criminal acts.
AFP Child Protection Operations Detective Sergeant Jarryd Dunbar said this was a complex investigation that had to identify an offender, prove the innocence of another man, and care for a victim who had been callously exploited.
“The allegations we will present before the court are something we rarely encounter – the subterfuge involved in this offending is sinister and cruel,” he said.
“A juvenile girl has been groomed and exploited – and may have suffered life-long trauma – while assuming the identity of an innocent man has resulted in serious damage to his personal and professional reputation.
“AFP investigators have worked tirelessly for almost a year to get to the truth of this matter. While it remains our duty to track down those who would exploit our most vulnerable, we encourage people to educate and protect themselves and their children against predators, and provide a safe environment to talk about activities in the online world.”
The man was charged with:
- Three counts of use carriage service to send indecent material to person under 16 years of age, contrary to section 474.27A of the Criminal Code (Cth)
- Two counts of use carriage service for sexual activity with person under 16 years of age, contrary to section 474.25A of the Criminal Code (Cth)
- One count of use carriage service to solicit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code (Cth);
- One count of possess child abuse material obtained or accessed through a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of use carriage service to procure child under 16 years for sexual activity, contrary to section 474.26 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The man faces a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment.
Anyone with information about suspected online child abuse can alert the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button at www.accce.gov.au/report.
Note to media:
USE OF TERM 'CHILD ABUSE' MATERIAL, NOT 'CHILD PORNOGRAPHY'
Use of the phrase "child pornography" benefits child sex abusers because it:
- indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and
- conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.
Every photograph captures an actual situation where a child has been abused. This is not "pornography".
Media enquiries:
AFP National Media: (02) 5126 9297