A 42-year-old Upper Coomera man has been charged with child sex offences following investigations by Argos.
The man was arrested yesterday afternoon when he attended a Brisbane fast food business to meet what he believed to be, a 13-year-old girl. He was instead met with detectives from Argos.
The investigation began last month when the man made contact with a social media profile of an undercover Argos officer posing as a 13-year-old girl.
It will be alleged the man engaged in behaviour that constitutes the grooming of a child, including sending explicit photographs and videos of himself. Police will allege his behaviour escalated to making arrangements for the ‘child’ to skip school and meet him to engage in sexual activity at a local motel.
The 42-year-old man was charged with using the internet to procure a child under 16 years of age with a circumstance of aggravation that the offender went to a place with the intention of meeting the child and four counts of grooming a child under 16 years of age with intent to expose to indecent matter.
The man is due to appear at the Brisbane Magistrates Court today, Friday 10 June.
Detective Inspector Glen Donaldson of Argos said this case highlights the risk posed to children by online predators and urged parents and caregivers to take active and ongoing measures around online safety.
“Research by the Commonwealth eSafety Commissioner has identified that 1 in 4 children have been approached by a stranger online. This is extremely concerning and highlights the need for parents to be aware of their child’s online footprint and to speak with their child about online safety”, Detective Inspector Donaldson said.
“Supervision is the key to prevention, as is ongoing communication with children about how to stay safe online and the dangers of having online ‘friends’ they have never met face-to-face”.
“Every day Argos has undercover officers working in a range of online platforms to detect and apprehend people who seek to exploit children in our community.
“To those that seek to engage in this predatory behaviour, just remember that the next ‘child’ that you engage may be a member of Argos.”
Resources and advice
- eSafety Commissioner a key partner of the QPS in enhancing online safety, with a comprehensive suite of information, resources and reporting tools to ensure children have a safe experience online.
- Who’s chatting to your kids? Further QPS advice and information about reducing online risks for children.
- Out of the dark #doiknowu a campaign by the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) supported by the QPS and Department of Education, providing resources to help young people stay safe online.
- Think U Know is a partnership between Australian Federal Police, Commonwealth Bank, Datacom, Microsoft, State and Territory Police and Neighbourhood Watch. It provides information on topics including sexting, cyber bullying, online child exploitation, online privacy, and what to do when something goes wrong.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
Report crime information anonymously via Crime Stoppers. Call 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestoppersqld.com.au.
