A man will face court today after being charged with online child procurement as part of an investigation into online child abuse, NSW Police say.
Strike Force Trawler is an ongoing Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) investigation into the sexual abuse and exploitation of children facilitated through the internet and related telecommunications devices.
Strike force officers began engaging online with a man from the state’s south coast last month.
Police will allege in court the man believed he was speaking to a 14-year-old boy and made numerous sexually explicit comments to the child, and made arrangements to meet with him.
About 3.30pm today, the 33-year-old man was arrested by strike force detectives in a car park on High Street, Penrith.
Shortly after, strike force detectives, with the assistance of officers from Penrith and Far South Coast Local Area Commands executed search warrants at a hotel room at Penrith and a home at Moruya.
During the searches, police seized a laptop, and two mobile phones.
The man was taken to Penrith Police Station and charged with use carriage service to procure persons under 16.
He was refused bail to appear at Penrith Local Court tomorrow.
Strike Force Trawler is an ongoing Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) investigation 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.
