Man charged with grooming girl, 14, for sex in Newcastle
Following a police raid near Newcastle, a young man has been charged over the alleged online grooming of a 14-year-old girl.
Newcastle
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A man has been charged over the alleged online grooming of a 14-year-old girl in the Hunter region.
Detectives swooped on 23-year-old Jake Barringham at a home near Newcastle on Wednesday morning.
Police raided the property and seized a mobile phone and documents before Barringham was arrested and charged with use carriage service to groom a person under 16 years for sex.
In December last year, detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad’s Child Exploitation Unit began engaging online with a man, alleged to be Barringham.
Police allege he believed he was speaking with a 14-year-old girl and engaged in conversations about sexually-explicit acts he wished to perform on her.
In Newcastle Local Court on Thursday, Barringham was refused bail and the matter adjourned until March.
Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad Commander, Detective Acting Superintendent Chris Goddard, said all parents needed to speak with their children regularly about online safety.
“With school holidays about to end, it’s a timely reminder to keep an eye on how much time your child is spending on the internet, what websites they are visiting, and who they may be speaking with,” Det Acting Supt Goddard said.
“If they encounter something or someone they are not comfortable with, we encourage them to speak to someone they trust, who can then let our investigators know.”