Grandma on bail after police allegations she sexually abused toddler
A grandma has faced court amid horrific allegations she sexually abused her 2-year-old granddaughter and posted it to social media.
Canberra Star
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A grandmother accused of sexually abusing her granddaughter and posting the abuse on TikTok has wailed in court saying she “didn’t do these things”.
The 50-year-old Philip woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared distraught and quickly spoke through a Nepalese translator to express her confusion about the charges when she appeared at court on Monday morning.
She was supported by her family members in court.
Magistrate Glenn Theakston ultimately told the woman to remain quiet and warned anything she may say could be used against her.
Her lawyer applied for bail on her behalf which was unopposed by prosecutors, and the woman did not enter any pleas.
Mr Theakston granted the woman bail with conditions including to not use her phone or internet except for matters relating to her visa, to not be with children under ten unless supervised by an adult and to surrender any passports.
The woman was arrested on Sunday following a raid at her residence.
The Australian Federal Police Child Protection Triage Unit received a report last month regarding child abuse material being uploaded onto social media sites, a statement from ACT Policing revealed.
The incident was then investigated by ACT Policing’s Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Team and the ACT Joint Anti Child Exploitation team.
The woman was charged with aggravated acts of indecency against a child under 10, using a child to produce child exploitation material and using a carriage service for child abuse material.
The woman will return to court on February 28.
ACT Policing has urged victims of sexual assault, including those whose intimate images have been shared without consent, to report these incidents to police.
“A statement from a TikTok spokesman said in late January the social media sites‘ Trust and Safety team ”proactively observed content of concern on the platform, relating to an Australian minor”.
“As soon as this content was discovered, it was removed, and reported to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation,” The spokesman said.
“The content was discovered and removed before it had any views.”
The spokesman said TikTok worked closely with the Australian Federal Police and provided them with information to assist their investigation.“
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