High flying Rydalmere real estate agent arrested in child porn sting
A man is alleged to have told a mother the sexually-explicit acts he wished to carry out on her 11-year-old girl. Little did he know he was speaking to undercover cops, it is alleged.
Inner West
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A high-profile real estate agent has faced court on a child pornography charge.
Lionel Coombs, 51, was caught in an undercover police sting targeting predators last month where he is alleged to have detailed a desire to commit sexual acts on what he believed were a 32-year-old mother and her 11-year-old daughter.
Police will allege in court the Rydalmere man’s graphic conversations included Coombs allegedly revealing the sexually-explicit acts he wished to do to the child and mother together.
On the other end of those conversations, however, were detectives from the Child Exploitation Unit.
Coombs was arrested on September 12 at a business in the suburb.
Police also searched a nearby property and material was seized as part of the investigation.
Coombs has been charged with using a carriage service to transmit child pornography material but has yet to enter a plea.
As part of Strike Force Trawler’s investigation into Coombs, it is understood covert conversations with the Sydney real estate agent began in August, about a month before his arrest.
Coombs, dressed in a smart navy suit, appeared briefly in Burwood Local Court on Monday morning accompanied by his lawyer Robert Candelori.
His matter was adjourned to be heard back in the same court in December.
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