A man has been charged by Strike Force Trawler detectives over the alleged procurement of a child online, NSW Police say.
In April, detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) began to engage online with a man from Sydney’s Upper North Shore.
Police will allege in court that the man believed he was speaking to a 14-year-old girl and engaged in sexually-explicit conversations and broadcast explicit live video recordings.
It will be further alleged the man had made arrangements to meet the child for sex.
Following extensive investigations, Strike Force Trawler detectives arrested a 48-year-old man at North Parramatta, just after midday yesterday (Monday 21 May 2018).
Shortly after the arrest, detectives executed a search warrant at a home unit at Waitara, where they seized computers and electronic storage devices.
The man was taken to Parramatta Police Station and charged with use carriage service to procure child under 16 for sexual activity.
He was refused bail and appeared at Parramatta Local Court, where he was formally refused bail to reappear at the same court on Thursday 19 July 2018.
Investigations are continuing.
Strike Force Trawler is an ongoing investigation by the 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 CEIU; and police in NSW work closely with their law-enforcement colleagues interstate and overseas.
Anyone with information about internet predators should call Crime Stoppers.
