Jason William Duncan granted bail after he allegedly groomed and sexually abused teen in Bargo
A young man has been granted bail after he allegedly groomed and sexually assaulted a young girl he met on social media.
Macarthur
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A young man has been granted bail after he allegedly groomed and sexually abused a teenage girl he met on social media.
Jason William Duncan, 22, appeared in Picton Local Court on Friday after he was charged with use carriage service to groom under 16 years for sex, two counts of have sexual intercourse with child between 14 and 16 years, intentionally sexually touch child between 10 and 16 years, intentionally do sexual act with child between 10 and 16 years, use carriage service to solicit child abuse material and use carriage service to send indecent material.
The charges are the result of a months-long investigation by detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad into reports a young girl had been sexually abused by a man she had met online.
Police allege Mr Duncan groomed a 14-year-old girl on a social media platform before meeting with her in June and July, when he allegedly sexually abused her. Police also allege Mr Duncan requested and sent child sex abuse material in those months.
The Bargo resident was arrested at around 8am on Thursday after police conducted a search warrant on a home in the Macarthur region. During their search, police seized a mobile phone and clothing that will undergo further examination.
Mr Duncan appeared in Picton Court via video link to request bail after his first time in custody. The court heard he had admitted to some of the offences, but pleas have not yet been entered.
Police prosecutor Sharron Garbutt said there were no bail conditions the court could impose to mitigate the risk to the community, particularly as Mr Duncan is a young man who is able “to access all forms of social media at his will.”
“Any bail conditions that could be imposed require the accused not to access any form of social media and are difficult to monitor,” she said.
Ms Garbutt said granting the accused bail would “leave the community unprotected, in particular the vulnerable sections of the community” such as children.
However, Mr Duncan’s lawyer said his client would comply with the prohibition on being alone with anyone under 18 years of age. He said even though Mr Duncan has young relatives, they are male and too young, and of concern to the court.
The court heard Mr Duncan has mental health issues for which he needs to seek treatment.
Magistrate Mark Douglass determined to grant Mr Duncan strict conditional bail, which he likened to “house arrest”.
Mr Duncan will be restricted to his home in Bargo and won’t be able to leave unless in the company of his parents or a responsible adult.
He has been ordered not to contact anyone under the age of 18 without parental supervision and not to contact the victim. Magistrate Douglas also directed Mr Duncan not to be within one kilometre of anywhere the victim lives, works or goes to school.
Mr Duncan is also prohibited from accessing any social media platforms and is only allowed to possess one phone, for which all access codes and passwords must be revealed to police.
Magistrate Douglass warned the accused any breaches would result in his arrest. Mr Duncan is due to appear in Picton Court on December 11.
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