A Bellerive man has been arrested and charged with grooming offences, police alleging he used social media to entice a person aged under 16 to self-produce child abuse material.
The 34-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday after members of the Tasmanian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (JACET) executed a search warrant as part of the team's investigation into the detection of a child being groomed via social media.
The Tasmanian JACET is comprised of members of the High-Risk Child Exploitation Unit (Tasmania Police) and the Australian Federal Police.
During the search, police located and examined numerous mobile devices.
As a result, a 34-year-old man was arrested and charged with using a carriage service to groom persons under 16 years of age, contrary to section 474.27 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The man appeared in the Hobart Magistrates Court on Wednesday night and has been bailed, with strict conditions, to reappear in court in late June.
Online child abuse is a serious crime type. Tasmania Police, with the support of its partners, is committed to stopping these crimes and keeping our children safe.
If you have seen inappropriate behaviour online that you suspect is child abuse, report it:
• If the child is in immediate danger, call 000.
• Call 131 444
• Report online to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) https://www.accce.gov.au/report
