Kyle Reeve: Mt Colah man allegedly groomed girl, 13, online, charged with sexual abuse
Parents are being warned about the dangers of social media after Kyle William Reeve, 36, of Mt Colah, allegedly met a girl online before sexually abusing her.
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A Mount Colah man who allegedly preyed on a 13-year-old victim through social media and sexually abused her on multiple occasions faced Hornsby Local Court today.
Kyle William Reeve, 36, was charged with having sexual intercourse with a child, three counts of intentionally sexually touch child and three counts of groom child under 14 years for unlawful sexual activity.
Reeve was also charged with meet child under 14 groomed for sexual activity, use carriage service to send indecent material to person under 16, administer or attempt to administer prohibited drug to another and two counts of possess child abuse material.
He will remain in custody until October 7 when the matter will return to court.
It comes after police received reports that Reeve and a child allegedly met earlier this month for multiple sexual encounters, leading to an investigation by the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad.
On Monday at about 3.40pm, detectives stopped a vehicle in the Hornsby CBD and arrested the man.
His mobile phone was seized by detectives and he was taken to Hornsby Police Station.
Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad is urging parents to have conversations with their children about the risks of connecting online with people they don’t know.
“It is so important that we remind children, that meeting with people they have only communicated with in an online environment, puts them at extreme risk,” Det Supt Kerlatec said.
“We know the online environment is used by sexual predators to target children, so it is imperative that all young people know what to do if they are exposed to explicit or inappropriate conversations.
“Reporting these types of conversations is uncomfortable, particularly for young people, so I urge parents and carers to make sure kids know that they don’t need to be embarrassed or upset.”
He also reminded people about the risks of sharing personal details on social media.
More information can be accessed through the eSafety website.
Educational packages for parents and children are also available from ThinkUKnow, a multi-agency program designed to educate and promote cyber safety.
Anyone with concerns about suspected child abuse or exploitation should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.