A 34-year-old man will appear in Darwin Magistrates Court this morning to face 15 counts of child sex related charges.
Superintendent James O’Brien from the Sex Crimes Division said Police will allege the man used Facebook to target and groom the 15-year-old girl.
“The child’s father reported the matter to Police when he became aware of the inappropriate interaction.
The man has been charged with:
- Sexual intercourse with a child (x10)
- Indecent dealing with a child
- Use child for pornographic material
- Possess child abuse material
- Maintain sexual relationship with child
- Procure child U/16 for sex
“The use of social media is becoming more prevalent with people being able to access information and communicate with people at any time anywhere,” said Superintendent O’Brien.
“This conduit of accessibility is also the gateway for the most heinous of perpetrators, those who remove the innocence of our children.
“I remind parents of the need to inform and educate themselves regarding the far reaching capabilities of social media. The platform of social media is a great place to connect with friends and family, however parents and children need to be aware that online perpetrators will use any means to access and then groom their targets through this platform.”
Information and online safety tips for kids and parents can be found at http://www.pfes.nt.gov.au/Police/Community-safety/On-the-internet.aspx and http://www.thinkuknow.org.au/
