Central Coast Man Charged with Child Sex Offences

A Central Coast man will appear at court today on charges of online child procurement and producing and sending child abuse material after being arrested by detectives from the Sex Crimes Squad.

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.

Strike force officers began engaging online with a man from the Central Coast last month.

Police will allege in court the man believed he was speaking to a 14-year-old girl and made numerous sexually-explicit comments to the child, including requests for child abuse material; and made arrangements to meet with her.

About 2pm yesterday (Thursday 16 March 2017), the 41-year-old man was arrested by strike force detectives during a vehicle stop on Wyong Road, Tuggerah.

Shortly after, detectives executed a search warrant at a home at Berkley Vale, where they seized electronic devices, and a SIM card.

The man was taken to Wyong Police Station and charged with use carriage service to procure persons under 16, using a carriage service for child pornography, use carriage service to transmit indecent communication to person under 16 years, and produce child abuse material.

He was refused bail to appear at Wyong Local Court later today (Friday 17 March 2017).

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 on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/