Alleged sex criminals, accused of preying on Territory children online, front court
Seven alleged sex criminals, who are accused of preying on Territory children via online chat forums, have fronted court.
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SEVEN alleged sex criminals, who are accused of preying on Territory children via online chat forums, have fronted court.
Police announced last week they charged 15 people with a total of 45 offences following a three-month long operation launched in January.
During Operation May, police executed 19 search warrants between January and March throughout the NT and Queensland, as well as successfully extraditing a 52-year-old man from Western Australia.
In a sting conducted as a part of the bust, officers posed as a 12-year-old girl who engaged with a 28-year-old man online before arranging to meet up.
The investigators allegedly tracked the man while using an undercover operative as a decoy and arrested him when he showed up at the arranged location.
He and the other men, aged between 21 and 52 were charged with offences including using the internet to procure a child, using a carriage service to transmit child abuse images and indecent dealing with a child under 10.
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The offences were allegedly committed against four girls in the NT, aged between 5 and 8.
Several of the alleged offenders fronted Alice Springs Local Court on Thursday, aged between 41 and 23.
The court heard the matter would be adjourned to May 20 so prosecution could provide the defence lawyer with evidence which prosecution are relying on to prove the charges against the persons.
In a statement, NT Police Acting Commander Lauren Hill said the joint operation with Queensland Police and the Australian Federal Police was the first time such a large scale raid focusing on the NT had been undertaken.
“Police had identified an investigation in the Tennant Creek area and a result of examination of devices held by that person allowed us to conduct some intelligence and assessment and from that assessment we rolled with the operation,” she said.
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Detective Sergeant Paul Lawson said the alleged offences and the potential for further offending by the alleged perpetrators was “horrific”.
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