NSW Police arrest Taree father accused of string of child sex offences after United States tip
US police tipped off NSW authorities about a father allegedly engaging in child sex abuse online and with his children. He sat with his head in his hands as he was denied bail in a Mid-North Coast court.
Mid-North Coast
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A NSW father who had the finger pointed at him by US authorities sat with his head in his hands as online child sexual abuse allegations against him were outlined in Taree Local Court.
The man cannot be legally identified in order to protect the identity of his children, the Mid-North Coast court heard on Tuesday.
Magistrate Allison Hawkins ordered a non publication order because “some of the charges relate to his own children”.
The 39-year-old was arrested in Taree and taken to the local police station on Monday following a tip from the New Jersey State Police in the United States.
Defence lawyer Matthew Giles made an application for bail.
He said the accused had no criminal history and was not welcome back to the matrimonial home but could reside with his mother.
A police prosecutor opposed bail and said the man displayed an “ongoing obsession in his course of conduct”.
The defendant has been charged with a dozen offences including one count each of engaging in sexual activity with a child under 16 outside Australia, procuring a child for sexual activity outside Australia and using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material.
He has also been charged with four counts of using a carriage service to transmit/publish/promote child abuse, two counts of using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material, and three counts of possessing child abuse material.
Police allege the man used a social media platform from January 2024 to procure a 13-year-old girl outside of Australia for sex acts.
Detective Acting Superintendent Kirsty Hales, the Commander of State Crime Commands’ Squad, said the arrest was an example of international law enforcement working together.
“If you do the wrong thing to a child – whether here or overseas – we can still find you and you are still answerable to an Australian court,” she said.
“With school holidays approaching, this arrest is also a timely reminder to parents to encourage open conversations with their children about the dangers of talking to strangers online.”
The man was denied bail and the case was adjourned to May 27.
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