New child sex charges laid against Naim Louis Anderson, who was arrested after FBI tip-off

A northern suburbs man arrested after a tip-off from the FBI is now facing a dozen more child sex charges, a court has heard on Thursday.

Naim Anderson pictured leaving Adelaide Magistrates Court after an earlier hearing. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

A northern suburbs man arrested after a global sting involving the FBI is now facing 15 child sex charges – a dozen more charges than he was charged with when he was first arrested – for allegedly blackmailing young girls into sexual acts via video chat.

Naim Louis Anderson, 20, of Evanston Gardens was arrested by Australian Federal Police at a train station in August last year while allegedly waiting to meet a teenager he was grooming – but that person was actually an undercover police officer.

In the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday, prosecutors revealed they had filed new charges against Anderson.

The new file lists 15 charges including using a carriage service for multiple offences of sexual activity with a child, to access, solicit, transmit and control child abuse material. The offences are alleged to have occurred between February 16, 2019 and August 27, 2020 at Kilburn and Evanston Gardens.

The offences carry maximum penalties varying from seven to 15 years and are alleged to have occurred between February 16, 2019 and August 27, 2020 at Kilburn and Evanston Gardens.

In a statement released after the hearing, South Australian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team officers alleged the man befriended underage girls online, groomed them and blackmailed them into engaging in explicit chat and sexual activities via video calls.

They further allege he accessed child abuse material online and allegedly sent it to other alleged offenders.

Naim Louis Anderson at the time of his arrest. Picture: AFP

“SA JACET are working with law enforcement partners including Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, to identify the victims – who are residents of the United States and Canada – check on their welfare and provide them support,” they said.

Previously, Anderson had been charged with three offences.

At the time of his arrest, Australian Federal Police had alleged Anderson was waiting to meet a 14-year-old girl he had groomed online when he was arrested by the South Australian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team.

“He believed he had been speaking online to a 14-year-old girl since July, but it was actually a covert police officer posing as a child,” AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Gavin Stone had said.

He said Anderson had kept asking to meet the girl and had requested she wear a short skirt with no underwear.

Police further alleged they then discovered child abuse material at Anderson’s home.

They also alleged Anderson had been detected uploading child abuse material to the internet by the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and had began investigating him in May 2019 after a tip-off from the FBI.

James Caldicott, for Anderson, told the court on Thursday that he would need time to consider the new charges before his client would be able to enter pleas.

Magistrate David McLeod granted a six-week adjournment to allow his lawyers to consider the fresh information.

Anderson, who attended court flanked by family, refused to comment outside court. He returns to court next month.