Robert James Pearce denied bail after alleged attempted meet-up with ‘14-year-old girl’
A man will remain in custody after a court rejected his bid for bail at an address too close to schools and childcare.
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A man will remain in custody after he allegedly believed he was meeting a teen girl for sex at the Christies Beach train station.
Robert James Pearce, 40, was denied home detention bail in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday, after a magistrate determined the address would be too close to children.
A prosecutor told the court they were opposed to all forms of bail, due to the seriousness of the allegations and that the proposed bail address was in proximity to schools and childcare centres.
The court heard Mr Pearce had a significant domestic violence history and a poor compliance with court orders.
During an earlier bail application, the court previously heard online covert officers made contact with Mr Pearce on Facebook – acting under the assumed identity of a 14-year-old girl.
Prosecution alleged that over a period of time, Mr Pearce sent “numerous pictures of his crotch” and “asked for her to send him “sexy pics”.
“Throughout the images the defendant sends, he sends photos where you can see distinct tattoos and some of these pictures exposed his penis,” they said.
“This goes on for about a month … before the defendant makes arrangements to meet this 14-year-old girl at the Christies Beach train station.
“The defendant attends the location and he is approached by police. When he sees police, he attempts to break his phone in half.
Mr Pearce was arrested in May when detectives from the Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team attended the train station.
He is charged with communicating with a child to make them amenable to sexual activity.
At the time, Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Lyons said he was “extremely proud” of the arrest.
“Our officers are highly trained to detect and apprehend predators who target our vulnerable,” Chief Inspector Lyons said.
“I am extremely proud of the tireless work our officers continue to do and the outcomes they achieve.”
On Monday, Jack Williams, for Mr Pearce, told the court his client’s defence would revolve around who had ownership of the Facebook account and whether Mr Pearce sent the messages.
Magistrate Lynette Duncan denied Mr Pearce bail, deeming the address as unsuitable due to being in proximity to schools.
The charge was adjourned until September.
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