Jake Dilan Fowke charged at Bendigo Magistrates court with sexual exploitation of teenage girl

A Central Victorian man has faced court charged with the sexploitation of a teenage girl, allegedly hacking her phone and threatening to leak sexual images.

Jake Fowke is charged with the sexual exploitation of a teenage girl. Picture: D-Keine.

A Victorian man has faced court charged with the sexploitation of a teenage girl, allegedly hacking her phone and threatening to leak sexually explicit images if she didn’t send him child abuse material.

Jake Dilan Fowke, who is on bail, faced Bendigo Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with 226 offences by JACET – the Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team, a taskforce comprising Victoria and federal police sex crime commands targeting predators who exploit children.

Police allege Mr Fowke targeted a teenage girl in a campaign of terror between August and September of 2021.

Jake Fowke remains on bail.

Mr Fowke allegedly stalked the teenage girl, hacking into her Snapchat account and got his hands on sexually explicit images before using them to threaten her.

Police allege Mr Fowke used the abuse material as leverage to intimidate the child and exploit her into sending him child abuse material or else he would distribute the images.

Police allege Mr Fowke called the child on Facetime and “repeatedly demanded she touch her vagina”.

Police allege Mr Fowke “menaced” the child with the intention of causing her to fear physical or mental harm, or to “self-harm”.

He is further charged and transmitting child abuse material.

Police allege Mr Fowke’s intent was to harm the child. Picture: Tinnakorn Jorruang.

The court heard on Wednesday the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and Mr Fowke’s defence lawyers were negotiating a plea deal.

Prosecutor Zoe Hough told the court the CDPP had made a plea offer in February, and the defence had made a counter offer “last week” and the parties were “close to resolution”.

Magistrate Trieu Huynh adjourned the case to June, ordering that Mr Fowke appear in person.