AFP warned child predator Naim Anderson about online behaviour months before arrest, court told

A sex predator who preyed on children online has been told he destroyed the lives and innocence of his victims before he was captured by police.

A child predator who groomed and blackmailed young girls into engaging in sexual activity via video calls was warned about his online behaviour months before he was arrested attempting to meet with a teenager, a court has heard.

Naim Anderson was arrested in late August 2020 when he attempted to meet with a 14-year-old girl at a suburban train station to engage in sexual activity.

The teenager was actually a police officer posing as a child after a tip-off from the FBI to the Australian Federal Police.

Eight months earlier, an AFP officer had warned the predator about his online conduct with female children.

Naim Anderson arriving at Adelaide District Courts Picture: NCA NewsWire / Roy VanDerVegt

Anderson, 21, of Evanston Gardens has appeared in the District Court where three victim impact statements were read – including one prepared by Commissioner for Victim’s Rights Brownwyn Killmeir.

In the statement, read by lawyer Craig Fabbian on her behalf, Ms Killmeir said Anderson’s crimes were neither victimless nor harmless.

“As a society we must acknowledge that the creation, distribution and sharing of this material has long-lasting, widespread and devastating consequences,” she said.

She said it could take as little as three minutes for a predator to introduce a sexual topic to conversation with a child, creating “insidious ripples” which move through the children, families and wider community.

“(The victims) experience shame and fear people will often believe they were willing participants.”

A father of one of the victims, who lives overseas, said Anderson had “meant nothing but evil” for his daughter, whose innocence he stole.

He said the emotional scars were lasting.

“My child was so afraid to even make eye contact with me. It hurt to see a bright, capable, kind, loveable spirit turned into a depressed traumatised child that felt alone and lost,” he said.

The sister of another victim said Anderson had “destroyed the normal childhood and teenage years” her sister deserved.

“She told me she is living in fear that one day her future partner or husband will see inappropriate photos of her on the internet,” she said.

Commonwealth prosecutor Bonnie Russell, said Anderson had pleaded guilty to multiple child abuse charges including transmitting indecent material and procuring a child for sexual activity.

She said an AFP officer contacted Anderson in December 2019.

“He was specifically warned about engaging with female children online and sexualised communications and about the illegal nature of that,” she said.

Jason Evitts, for Anderson, said his client been “living in this fantasy land online” and little life experience. He said investigations were underway to determine whether Anderson had autism and that he would better rehabilitate if he was given a merciful sentence that allowed him to access services to rehabilitate while in the community.

Anderson’s bail was revoked in February after he was caught accessing child abuse material online.

He will be sentenced later this month.