Gold Coast police charge five men for allegedly using internet to meet a child to sexually abuse
A group of five Gold Coast men who allegedly used the internet to try and meet a child to sexually abuse them have been caught in a police sting.
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A group of five Gold Coast men who allegedly used the internet to try and meet a child to sexually abuse them have been caught in a police sting.
The Gold Coast Child Protection and Investigation Unit (CPIU) on Thursday arrested five men for trying to meet the child.
The men were identified after they engaged with Argos detectives online to arrange to meet a child to sexually abuse.
The police operation started on November 20.
Police have released body camera footage of the arrest which shows plain clothes officers approaching the men one by one in various parts of Broadbeach.
The men include a 58-year-old Mermaid Waters man, a 25-year-old Mermaid Beach man, a 22-year-old Southport man, a 28-year-old Upper Coomera man and a 45-year-old Helensvale man.
All five have been charged with grooming a parent or carer of child under 16 with intent to procure for a sexual act.
The 25-year-old has also been charged with solicitation of child abuse material.
The 58-year-old will appear in Southport Magistrates Court on November 29. The remaining men are expected to appear in the same court on December 6.
The Gold Coast CPIU conducted the operation in conjunction with Taskforce Argos which is focused on catching those who abuse children.
Gold Coast CPIU Detective Acting Inspector Greg Aubort said operations such as these were vital to draw out sexual offenders who target children online.
Taskforce Argos Detective Acting Inspector Cameron Burke said this particular investigation centred on the Gold Coast but said police work on cases throughout the state.
“This operation also highlights that parents and carers need to have regular conversations with their children about online safety and the importance of having a trusted adult that they can confide in if they are worried about an online experience or are feeling unsafe,” Detective Acting Inspector Burke said.
Police have urged parents to make use of online resources such as the eSafety Commissioner, Who’s chatting to your kids?, Out of the Dark and Think U Know to help keep their children safe online.
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