A Warragamba man will face court today after being charged with the online procurement of a child.
Strike Force Trawler detectives arrested the 34-year-old in Westmead yesterday.
A subsequent search was conducted at the man’s home in Warragamba, where mobile phones, laptops, a tablet device and ammunition were seized by officers.
He was taken to Parramatta Police Station and charged with using a carriage service to procure a person under 16 years for sexual activity.
The man was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court today.
In May this year, detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) began engaging online with a man from Warragamba.
Police will allege in court that the man believed he was speaking with a 14-year-old girl and engaged in conversations about sex acts he wished to perform on the teenager.
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.
The Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad is comprised of detectives who are specially trained to investigate matters against children and adults, including sexual assault, serious physical abuse, and extreme cases of neglect.
Anyone with concerns about suspected child abuse or exploitation should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.
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In other police news, a man was charged with drug and firearm offences following a vehicle stop in Picton earlier this week.
Officers attached to Camden Police Area Command’s proactive crime team were travelling north on Remembrance Drive, Picton, when they observed a rental Pantech truck heading in the opposite direction.
Officers stopped the truck and spoke with the driver, a 37-year-old man.
When they searched the vehicle, the officers allegedly found a loaded shotgun, a revolver, more than $5,000 in cash, a small amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
The driver was arrested and taken to Narellan Police Station.
He was scheduled to appear in Campbelltown Local Court yesterday.
