David Frewin jailed grooming girls online

A 48-year-old South coast man used the Facebook account of “Moruya Mack” and “David Roots” to send a series of vile messages before her dad stepped in.

A Moruya grandfather will spend at least the next two years behind bars after he was caught in a statewide police sting into online child grooming last year.

David Frewin, 48, pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to send indecent material to a person aged under 16, using a carriage service to groom someone under 16 for sex, using a carriage service to menace and using a carriage service to procure someone under 16 for sexual activity.

Judge Mark Buscombe told the court Frewin, who has prior convictions for stalking, illicit drugs and firearms offences, used the Facebook accounts “Moruya Mack” and “David Roots” to contact a 13-year-old girl in 2019, offering her illicit drugs for sex.

He told the court the girl was left feeling “disgusted” by Frewin’s contact which included “extremely explicit” and “menacing” content.

Judge Buscombe told the court while sexual offending against children via social media is “difficult to detect” it is “becoming more prominent”.

In her victim impact statement, Frewin’s victim said his offending “left a mark on her”, the court heard.

Judge Buscombe told the court he did not find David Frewin’s excuse for making the contact with the girl “plausible”.

He told the court Frewin had used the terms “sexual servant” and “slave for anything” in the “clearly highly indecent” messaging.

The court heard Frewin sent the girl up to 15 messages via Facebook Messenger, asking what she was doing “that night”, before attempting to voice call her 10 times.

The teen did not respond to Frewin’s attempted contact, the court heard.

Judge Buscombe told the court the girl’s father took screenshots of some of the attempted contact with his daughter, which included references to pornographic films.

He told the court the girl’s father eventually answered the phone and Frewin promised to block his daughter’s number.

The father later called Frewin over speakerphone with his daughter present, the court heard.

Frewin then attempted to meet the girl that night, the court heard.

Judge Buscombe told the court Frewin told the girl he knew her date of birth, her high school and even the bus she took to get to school.

David Frewin was sentenced in Bega District Court. Picture: Google Maps

Frewin later told police he had dialled the number “by mistake” after promising the girl’s father it wouldn’t happen again, the court heard.

Judge Buscombe told the court he did not find Frewin’s excuse “plausible”.

The father then contacted police, who created the online identity of a 14-year-old girl before accepting a Facebook request from Frewin, the court heard.

During conversations with the police Frewin asked to meet the police officer in a hotel room in Parramatta, also offering her ice and ecstasy to “enhance the sexual experience”, the court heard

Judge Buscombe told the court Frewin’s “sexually provocative” conversation included the sending of pornographic films and a picture of his penis.

Frewin was supported in Bega District Court by his mother and sister, and had claimed to not be sexually attracted to children. The court heard.

Judge Buscombe said Frewin’s health problems, caused by a spinal injury in 2005, forced him to reduce his sentence, along with a reduction for his early guilty plea.

The court heard Frewin must manually evacuate his bowels and faced court from Long Bay Hospital.

Judge Buscombe said Frewin’s chances of rehabilitation are “no better than guarded” as he sentenced him to four and a half years behind bars, backdated to his arrest in May last year.

He was handed a two year non parole period, meaning he will be paroled on May 19, 2024.

WE’RE STILL HERE FOR YOU

For trusted news that matters, and to support local journalism, go straight to the source:

Visit and bookmark The South Coast News homepage and hit ‘follow’.

For local news, go to thesouthcoastnews.com.au You can follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/TheSthCoastNews, Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thesouthcoastnews/.

You can also get your news delivered straight into your inbox by subscribing to our online newsletter here (search for The South Coast News). Link is here: https://www.newsletters.news.com.au/dailytelegraph