A man will appear in court today charged by detectives following an investigation into alleged online child abuse in the Hunter region.
In September last year, detectives from the Sex Crime Squad's Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) began engaging online with a man from the Newcastle area.
Police will allege in court that the man believed he was speaking with the mother of a nine-year-old girl and engaged in sexually-explicit conversations about acts he wished to perform on the child.
Following inquiries, strike force detectives, with assistance from Newcastle City Police District, arrested a 40-year-old man at Mayfield about 8am yesterday (Thursday 23 February 2023).
A search warrant was executed at his home where officers seized electronic devices. They will undergo further examination.
He was taken to Newcastle Police Station and charged with use carriage service transmit/publish/promote child abuse.
The man was refused bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court today (Friday 24 February 2023).
The Sex Crimes Squad comprises a number of investigative teams who lead investigations into alleged adult sex offenders, including the Child Exploitation Internet Unit, Child Protection Register, and Extended Supervision Order teams.
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 concerns about suspected child abuse or exploitation should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.
Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. People should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Anyone with information that may assist investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
