Sydney man who groomed and paid 14-year-old for sex also tried to recruit younger girl

A SYDNEY man accused of grooming a 14-year-old girl and paying her to have sex with him has been refused bail after a court heard how he also allegedly tried to recruit a younger girl.

Image released by police of the man they sought, who cannot be identified.

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A SYDNEY man accused of grooming a 14-year-old girl and paying her to have sex with him has been refused bail after a court heard shocking details about how he also allegedly tried to recruit a younger girl to have sex with.

The 37-year-old father applied for bail in NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday but it was refused by Justice Lucy McCallum who said the man had waged a “campaign of persistent persuasion” to have sex with the girl, even asking her at one point if she wanted to become pregnant.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly met the young girl through an online chat site and over the course of about nine months in 2015 repeatedly contacted her arranging to meet her and have sex for money as well as send him revealing photos.

He appeared in court via video-link and remained silent and expressionless throughout the proceedings.

Police released this image of the man, who cannot currently be identified.

The court heard on one occasion the 14-year-old victim sent sexual images of herself and another 12-year-old girl to the man after he requested them to send him “dirty pictures”.

In the statement of police facts read to the court it was revealed detectives from the Child Abuse Squad stumbled across evidence of the alleged sexual offences in mid-2016 after executing a search warrant at the victim’s home where she lived with her stepfather.

Disturbingly during the search they discovered hidden CCTV cameras in the girl’s room with further investigations revealing two recordings allegedly capturing the man having sex with the young girl on two separate occasions.

The court was not told why the home was searched by police or why there were hidden cameras in the girl’s room.

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It was not until July this year that police arrested and charged the 37-year-old, after releasing a still image of a man wanted in connection with the offences. The man came forward and told police he was the man pictured and he wanted it removed.

The court was also told about another occasion the accused took a day off work to meet with the young girl and that tried to use her to recruit another younger girl to have sex with him but she refused, telling she was not ready yet and would not be interested.

The man is currently in custody at Silverwater jail and is facing 21 charges in the local court of sexual intercourse or activity with a child aged 14 to 16 years old and acting as a client with a child between January 1 and September 11, 2015.

Police have also raised the prospect the man could face further charges.

Justice McCallum said the man had shown “deeply troubling” behaviour.

“I would regard the crown case as overwhelming strong. In the police brief there is a series of text exchanges between the applicant and the child that reveals a campaign of persistent persuasion on behalf of applicant,” she told the court.

“Admittedly the child did not need persuading, she opened communication in exchange for money for sexual acts, but the applicant persistently persuades her to get a younger girl involved in sexual activity even when the young girl said that she was too young and would not want to be involved.

“The brief states he engages in intercourse with other girls. The material can only be described as a deeply troubling campaign of persuading underage girls to engage in intercourse.”