Sex Crimes Squad detectives have charged a man for allegedly attempting to groom a child online under Strike Force Trawler.
Strike Force Trawler is an ongoing investigation by State Crime Command's Sex Crimes Squad Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) into the sexual abuse and exploitation of children facilitated through the internet and related telecommunications devices.
In October 2025, strike force detectives commenced investigations into the online activities of a 64-year-old man.
Assuming the online identity of an adult woman with a young daughter, detectives spoke with the man who engaged in sexually explicit conversations about the child.
About 7.15am yesterday (Monday 3 November 2025), strike force detectives executed a search warrant in Cumbalum in the state's Northern Rivers Region.
At the address, police arrested a 64-year-old man.
He was taken to Ballina Police Station, where he was charged with use carriage service-groom <16 procure for sender+prior, use carriage service-groom under 16 yrs for sex+prior, use carriage service make available child abuse and fail to comply with reporting obligations.
The man was refused bail and appeared in Bail Division Local Court 1 yesterday, where he was formally refused bail to next appear in Ballina Local Court on Thursday 1 January 2026.
Anyone with information that may assist investigations into the online grooming of children is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is managed on a confidential basis. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
