Jason Luckhurst: Police find bed in car of alleged child sex predator

Child abuse squad detectives have swooped on a man who allegedly arranged to meet who he believed was a 14-year-old girl for sex.

Police allege a man set up a makeshift bed in the back of his car before driving to meet who he believed was a teenage girl for sex on the NSW north coast.

Instead of the 14-year-old girl he was allegedly expecting, Strike Force Trawler detectives met Jason Luckhurst when he arrived at a beach in Forster on Wednesday morning.

Police will allege Jason Luckhurst tried to arrange sex with a 14-year-old girl. Picture: NSW Police

Mr Luckhurst, 26, is charged with attempting to procure a child for sex following the sting led by detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit.

Police will allege in court the Taree man had been speaking with an online persona, who he thought was a young girl, since at least May and spoke about sexually explicit acts he wished to perform with the child.

It will be further alleged he sent her explicit material and arranged to meet the child in person.

A mattress was found in the back of the car. Picture: NSW Police

Photographs from the Forster arrest show a mattress, blankets, sheets and pillows had been set up in the back of Mr Luckhurst’s car when police arrived to arrest him about 10.50am.

He was taken to Forster police station and charged with two counts of use carriage service to solicit child abuse material, possess/control child abuse material using carriage service and use carriage service to procure child under 16 years for sex.

Mr Luckhurst was refused bail to appeal before Forster Local Court on Wednesday afternoon.