A man will face court today charged with online child exploitation offences after being arrested by detectives from the Sex Crimes Squad, NSW Police say.
In December 2016, officers from Tasmania Police began engaging online with a man after receiving a report from a member of the community.
The matter was later referred to NSW Police Force’s Sex Crimes Squad after inquiries revealed the man resided in NSW.
The Sex Crimes Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) conducts ongoing investigations into the sexual abuse and exploitation of children online under Strike Force Trawler.
Following extensive inquiries, strike force officers arrested a 23-year-old man at a residence at Ultimo about 10am today.
The man was taken to Sydney City Police Station and charged with use carriage service to groom persons under 16, use carriage service to transmit indecent material to persons under 16, and use carriage service to solicit child pornography.
Police will allege in court the man believed he was speaking to a 13-year-old girl and engaged in sexually-explicit conversations with the child and requested child abuse material.
He was refused bail and appeared at Central Local Court today, where he was formally refused bail to appear at the same court tomorrow.
Strike Force Trawler is an ongoing investigation by the Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) into the sexual abuse and exploitation of children facilitated through the internet and related telecommunications devices.
Regular covert online investigations are conducted by the Child Exploitation Internet Unit and police in NSW work closely with their law-enforcement colleagues interstate and overseas.
Anyone with information about internet predators should call Crime Stoppers.
