Strike Force Trawler detectives have charged a man over the alleged online exploitation of a child in Sydney's Northern Beaches.
In February 2019, detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad's Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) began engaging online with a man from the Northern Beaches.
Police will allege in court that the man believed he was speaking with the 40-year-old male relative of a nine-year-old girl and engaged in conversations about sexually explicit acts he wished to perform on the child and for the male relative to also perform on the child.
It will also be alleged the man sent sexually explicit material on numerous occasions.
Following extensive investigations, strike force detectives arrested a 43-year-old man outside a business in Collaroy Plateau about 11.30am yesterday (Thursday 18 April 2019).
A short time later, detectives executed a search warrant at a property on Scotland Island, where they seized several electronic devices for forensic examination.
The man was taken to Manly Police Station, where he was charged with accessory before the fact to an attempted sexual intercourse with child under the age of 10 years, and seven counts of use carriage service to transmit/publish/promote child porn.
He was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court today (Friday 19 April 2019).
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 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. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
