Palmerston school volunteer denied bail after alleged child abuse sting operation

A judge has highlighted the ‘obvious flaws’ in a proposal to release a man facing child abuse allegations to a home with kids living there.

Judge John Neill dismissed a bail application with ‘obvious flaws’ for a 24-year-old Darwin man charged with procuring a child for sexual activity.

A Palmerston school volunteer allegedly busted in an online child abuse sting has been denied bail to a home where young kids were staying.

On Friday, Darwin Local Court judge John Neill dismissed a bail application with “obvious flaws” for a 24-year-old Darwin man, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Commonwealth Prosecutor Mark Hibbins told the court the 24-year-old was arrested after allegedly striking up an online conversation with a 13-year-old child.

But he said the Darwin man was unaware the teen was actually a Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team agent.

The 24-year-old‘s home was subsequently raided and devices were seized, with police charging with possessing and accessing child abuse material, having indecent conversations with a child under 16 and two counts of procuring a child under 16 for sexual activity.

His lawyer Clancy Dane argued the young man had a limited criminal history and had worked hard to “better himself” after leaving school at Year 11.

Mr Dane said the Darwin man had enrolled himself in youth-centred vocational pathways and had gone on to start studying a certificate three at Charles Darwin University.

He said the alleged offender also volunteered at a Palmerston high school for the 10 months prior to his arrest.

The young man was supported by four family members in court, including his grandmother who volunteered her northern suburbs home for his bail address.

But when asked who else was living at the home, the 24-year-old said his “little siblings, aunties and uncles” were also staying there.

While Mr Dane argued none of the alleged offending involved family members, Mr Hibbins said there were serious concerns about multiple vulnerable children being exposed to the alleged predator.

In denying his release, Mr Neill said he was open to a future bail application being presented with a different address.

“This is a difficult matter, we have a young man with no prior jail offence, with serious offending alleged with all sorts of danger to vulnerable people,” he said.

The 24-year-old was remanded in custody, with his hearing adjourned to October 10 for a preliminary examination mention.

Mr Dane told the court the young man had already been placed “at risk” given the concerns for his mental health as a first-timer in jail.

“He is at the beginning of what could potentially be a very long road in terms of being on remand,” he said.