Police officer James Anthony Gwynne pleads guilty to grooming, child abuse charges

A NSW police officer sent a lewd photo with his uniform in the background when trying to groom someone that he thought was a 15-year-old girl from Minnesota.

James Gwynne, a NSW police officer, has pleaded guilty multiple offences.

An officer has admitted to sending messages containing vile material and trying to groom an overseas child after his home and police station were searched.

James Anthony Gwynne fronted Campbelltown Local Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to three counts of using a carriage service to transmit, publish or promote child abuse.

He also admitted to using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend; using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material and grooming a child to engage in sexual activity outside of Australia.

Gwynne, 30, was charged after using Whisper, a social media and social networking service with features enabling users to post text and images to a feed or in encrypted chats.

Court documents stated Gwynne said to one user on the Whisper platform “my secret is that my fantasies are illegal”.

The Liverpool resident messaged multiple users, including one who said they were 17, and detailed scenarios involving bestiality and incest.

The content of most of the messages were too graphic for this publication to print.

James Gwynne at Campbelltown District Court.

One user said, “police officer and perv lol” after Gwynne told them he was an officer.

Another user questioned Gwynne when he revealed his employment and asked: “as law enforcement are you not obligated to report or investigate the activities on this site?”

In April 2022, investigators from the Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force in the United States conducted covert online duties on Whisper using the assumed online identity (AOl) of a 15-year-old girl from Minnesota.

In April, Gwynne initiated a conversation with the AOI and said, “would you sit on a cute Australian cops (sic) face”.

Later in that conversation, the AOI asked Gwynne if it was “cool” that she was younger and confirmed she was 15.

Gwynne also sent the AOI a photo of his erect penis next to his NSW Police shirt and later another photo that showed his face with a NSW Police shirt in his mouth.

On April 29, NSW Police Officers executed search warrants at Gwynne’s residence and Waverly Police Station.

Several exhibits were seized during the warrants, including the shorts worn by Gwynne during the online conversations with the AOl.

Property worn by him in the images sent to the AOl were located at Waverly Police Station, including his police vest.

The NSW Police Force confirmed Gwynne had been suspended without pay but was still an employee.

He will be sentenced at Campbelltown District Court, where his matter will be heard next month.