Dale Whiteman: Illawarra junior rugby league ref accused of grooming, having underage sex with teen girls
A junior rugby league referee has been charged with more than 50 child sex offences over allegations he groomed, assaulted and had underage sex with teen girls.
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A junior Illawarra rugby league referee accused of sexually grooming and having underage sex with several teen girls in the Illawarra and Sutherland Shire over a 10-year period has been hit with more than 30 new charges as part of a long-running child abuse investigation.
Police arrested 31-year-old Woonona man Dale Whiteman on December 11 last year, after a 13-year-old girl reported having inappropriate conversations with him on Instagram.
In court documents, police allege Whiteman befriended the girl online, before asking her to send photos of herself in her underwear, and later, allegedly asking to meet up for sex.
Detectives investigating Whiteman seized various electronic devices at the time, where he had allegedly hidden 71 folders filled with photos, each one with a different female name.
He was initially charged with one count of procuring a child for unlawful sexual activity, however he was rearrested earlier this month, and charged over new allegations he had sex with a 14-year-old girl on a number of occasions in 2008.
As a result, he was charged with an additional six offences including four counts of sexual intercourse with a person 14-16 years, and one count each of procuring a child for unlawful sexual activity and possessing child abuse material.
In court documents, police also allege they found a folder in the name of the girl on one of his flash drives, which was allegedly filled with pictures of her.
The 31-year-old appeared in Wollongong Court on Wednesday, where police charged him with an additional 36 charges relating to procuring children for unlawful sexual activity, have sexual intercourse with person older than 14 and less than 16, and possess child abuse material.
In court documents, police allege the 51 charges related to a total of 12 teenage girls in the Illawarra and Sutherland Shire, between the ages of 12 and 15.
In one of the most disturbing allegations, sometime between 2012 and 2014, police allege Whiteman met up with a girl, who was aged between 13 and 15 at the time, and removed her bra before groping her breasts. He was in his 20s at the time.
Other allegations are too graphic to be published.
In documents tendered to the court during a bail application earlier this month, police allege Whiteman “portrayed himself as being a victim” and said the females were “willing participants” in all of their interactions with him.
He is currently refused bail and on remand in custody, the matter will return to court next month.