A man was arrested at a Claymore home yesterday following an investigation into alleged online child procurement.
Liverpool Police Area Command officers last began investigating reports a man had met up in person with a teenage girl he’d met online, for the purpose of sexual activity.
Police were allegedly told the pair met through social media and began speaking on the phone before the man engaged in sexually explicit conversations and requested photos of the girl, who he allegedly knew to be under 16 years of age.
Police allege the man met the girl somewhere in Sydney’s south-west on Monday, February 1 and attempted to sexually touch her before she left the area. The girl then reported the incident at school.
Following inquiries, officers arrested a 23-year-old man at a Claymore home about 10.30am yesterday (Monday, February 8).
He was taken to Campbelltown Police Station and charged with procuring a child for unlawful sexual activity and possessing child abuse material, police say.
He was refused bail to face Campbelltown Local Court today.
Police are urging parents and guardians to speak with their children about staying safe online.
Safe internet use – tips for parents:
. Be aware of how much time your child spends on the internet.
. Spend time talking to your child about the dangers associated with online conversations, particularly when communicating with someone that they have only ever met online.
. Spend time exploring the internet with your children and let them teach you about their favourite websites and applications.
. Keep computers or internet-enabled devices in a room the whole family can access, not in your child’s bedroom; monitor internet access on those devices.
. Consider installing filtering and/or computer blocking software provided by your internet service provider.
. Ensure you are able to access your child’s email and social media accounts and randomly check the contents.
. Check your phone bill for unusual outgoing calls and consider using ‘caller ID’ to identify incoming calls.
. Consult your telephone company for options designed to ensure privacy and security.
. Enquire with your child’s school, public library, and places they frequent to find out what internet safety measures they have in place.
. Do not send a picture of yourself to anyone you don’t know and never place a full profile and picture anywhere on the internet.
. Never give out your personal information, including full name, home address, phone number or school, over the internet.
. Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone that you have only ever chatted with on the internet.
. Tell your parents or another adult you know of any contact that makes you feel uncomfortable.
. Think carefully before uploading or sending images or videos to people over the internet. Once you press ‘send’ it’s definite and final – you can’t get it back or take it down.
. Information on youth issues, including online safety is available on the NSW Police website at:
More information and educational packages for parents and children are available from ThinkUKnow, a multi-agency program designed to educate and promote cyber safety: https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/
