Kik Messenger used as hunting ground for paedophiles and other sexual predators

A message app popular with teens is being used as a paedophile hunting ground described as a “free-for-all” for sexual predators.

Many Australian sex offenders including paedophiles hunt child victims via Kik Messenger.

An internet messaging application popular with children is being used as a hunting ground for paedophiles and other sex offenders, federal authorities have warned.

Kik Messenger, an instant messaging social media app, is popular with teenagers and younger children as an easy way to hide communications from their parents.

As such sexual predators use the app to hunt potential victims which is evident by the high volume of sex offenders who have come through Victorian courts this year.

The majority of these offenders used Kik to solicit, transmit and share child abuse material with other paedophiles.

These predators also used the app to send lewd messages and images to groom their underage victims for sex.

There was also evidence heard at the County Court this year that paedophile social media rings operate on Kik.

The Australian Federal Police first issued a warning about the app in 2013 but paedophile activity on the app remains rampant.

AFP poured significant resources into fighting child exploitation on Kik and other social media applications.

This included forming the Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET), a task force of federal and state police investigators who share information and co-ordinate operations.

JACET deploys multiple investigation methods to battle and prosecute child exploitation.

These methods include monitoring and infiltrating social media applications with covert operatives who pose as children to lure and catch child sex predators.

JACET also work closely with overseas authorities including the FBI who share intel of online paedophile activity.

AFP Detective Sergeant Aaron Hardcastle said JACET is working “around-the-clock”.

“(We are working) with international and domestic partners to bring to justice those who seek to do harm to our children through shared online sexual abuse material,” he said.

“Every image and every video is a child being horrifically abused and that abuse will stay with them for life.

“This material is repulsive and JACET will find those who support this industry by sharing this abhorrent material and put them before the courts.”

JACET also works with the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).

The ACCCE is a pool of experts from multiple government agencies including the AFP which fight child exploitation from a central hub.

The spotlight on Kik comes as a serial sex fiend gardener recently jailed for soliciting and transmitting child abuse material told police the “evil” app was a “free-for-all”.

Sex fiend Trent Chenhall, 31, was sentenced in the County Court on Thursday to a minimum four years’ jail after pleading guilty to multiple child pornography charges.

Chenhall was unemployed and living in Blackburn South when he targeted 17 Kik users he believed were under the age of 16 between May and August last year.

The depraved fiend sent images of his erect penis to his victims and demanded naked pictures from his victims.

Chenhall also sent vile messages highly sexually explicit in nature.

Investigators raided Chenhall’s Middleborough Rd unit on August 2 last year.

Police seized multiple phones and devices which contained vulgar child pornography.

Chenhall admitted using Kik when interviewed by police.

“Gets thrown to ya on Kik … Kik is f***in’ evil man … Kik is f***in’

bad … it’s an absolute free-for-all with that sort of shit,” Chenhall said.

The court was told Chenhall joined a Kik public group chat called ‘#13YrOldClub’.

Chenhall shared a lewd image of a 12-year-old girl among the group’s 49 users, the court heard.

Chenhall told police he had been a Kik user for “at least a couple of years or a few years” and he used Kik when he “got done last time”.

Chenhall was made a registered sex offender in 2017 after he convicted of use a carriage service to transmit indecent communications to a person under 16 years of age.

A psychologist opined Chenhall had experienced “pedophilic desires”.

The former gardener who quit his job at Mowjo’s Gardening Service a month before his arrest retained the full support of his former employer Joe Verga.

Mr Verga, who was aware of Chenhall’s prior offending, provided a reference to the court.

Judge Christopher Ryan jailed Chenhall for a maximum five years and six months.

Chenhall, who appeared via videolink from Ravenhall Correctional, was made a registered sex offender for life.

To learn more about how to prevent child exploitation go to ThinkUKnow.

To report suspected child exploitation go the ACCCE website.

If you think a child is in immediate danger phone 000, Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000, or your local police.

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