AN 18-YEAR-OLD man will face Bathurst Local Court next month in relation to explicit online conversations with two girls aged just 10 and 11.
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The man was arrested after Strike Force Trawler detectives executed a search warrant at a Blayney home on Thursday morning.
He was taken to Bathurst police station where he was charged with two counts of using a carriage service to send indecent communication to a person under 16 years and two counts of using a carriage service to solicit child pornography.
Police seized a computer, mobile phone and electronic storage devices during the raid and the man was granted strict conditional bail to appear at Bathurst Local Court on Monday, June 25.
Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) launched an investigation in October last year following a referral from the Northern Territory Police.
Police will allege in court that the man was communicating online with two girls, aged 10 and 11.
He allegedly engaged in sexually-explicit conversations with the girls, requested explicit photos and engaged in explicit video calls with one of the children.
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.
Anyone with information about internet predators should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page at https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.
Information provided will be treated in the strictest of confidence.