Orest Pawloff: Avalon Beach man charged with trying to groom cop posing as teen boy for sex

A 68-year-old man from Sydney’s northern beaches - charged with grooming who he believed was a 14-year-old boy to engage in sexual acts - has been pictured for the first time.

Orest Pawloff at Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday. Picture: Nikki Short

An Avalon Beach man who allegedly went online to persuade who he believed was an underage boy to engage in sexual acts with him has appeared in court.

Orest Pawloff, 68, was arrested on January 27 over the alleged online communications with a covert police detective posing as a 14-year-old boy.

He appeared before Magistrate Susan Horan at Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, facing charges of use carriage service to groom minor for sex, use carriage service to procure minor for sexual activity, and use carriage service to send indecent material to a minor.

No pleas have been entered.

Police will allege in court that Pawloff engaged in sexually explicit conversations about acts he wished to perform on the child.

Orest Pawloff walking out of Downing Centre Local Court.

In December, investigators from the State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad Child Exploitation internet Unit (CEIU) started engaging online with Pawloff.

The detectives were working as part of ongoing operations under Strike Force Trawler and Strike Force Trident and following inquiries, Pawloff was arrested at an Avalon Beach home in January.

On Tuesday, Pawloff was represented by his lawyer Nicholas Kelly who asked for a three-week adjournment “to finalise negotiations”, which was supported by the Commonwealth prosecutor.

The court heard a conference between the prosecution, Pawloff and Pawloff’s legal team had been held on July 6.

The matter was adjourned to August 8.