Police reveal how online apps like Snapchat are putting children at risk
The rapid development of new social platforms is testing Geelong cybercrime experts trying to stop children being put at risk by would-be crims. Here’s some examples of the horrors they may face.
Geelong
Don't miss out on the headlines from Geelong. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Victoria Police say social media platforms like Snapchat has made tackling cybercrime more challenging while putting children at risk.
Senior Sergeant Michael Harvey from the Geelong Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team said police were aware of incidents where inappropriate and explicit content had been shared across social media apps like Snapchat.
“This type of behaviour is a criminal offence and our teams of dedicated detectives are absolutely committed to stopping those who share explicit material in their tracks to protect community members, particularly children,” he said.
“Younger users need to be aware that they may not be interacting with the person they think they are.
“Offenders often assume identities and purport to be younger than they are to convince younger social media users to exchange explicit images of themselves.”
Sergeant Harvey said the “fleeting nature” of social media platforms like Snapchat posed a new challenge for law enforcement, however while photos may disappear from a user’s phone in matter of seconds, he said it can be stored and shared for years afterwards.
“Our highly experienced investigators are actively targeting this space in a modern policing effort,” he said.
“We are extremely open-minded when it comes to new opportunities for intelligence gathering and have no room for complacency.”
He said police were also aware of some offenders using shared images to demand money from their victims- threatening to expose the images on social media if the money is not provided.
“The community can rest assured that we are continuously adapting our approach to tackling cybercrime and we will leave no stone unturned when it comes to hunting down those people who exploit vulnerable community members,” he said.
“We take all reports of cybercrime seriously and urge anyone who has experienced online bullying or harassment to contact their local police station.”
See the local crims lurking behind the screens:
Ex-Prison boss sentenced on child pornography charges
Disgraced former prison boss Wayne Harper was sentenced to a jail term of up to three years and five months following his four year involvement in a child pornography trade.
The 58-year-old father of three was a general manager at Marngoneet Correctional Centre in Lara, when his shameful interest in child exploitation was exposed in 2019.
He experienced a “spectacular fall from grace” when police uncovered more than 1000 child abuse and child pornography images on his phone, computer, USB sticks and iPad.
Some of the children depicted in the images were girls as young as two.
Harper pleaded guilty in the County Court in October 2020 to five charges relating to child abuse material.
The offending occurred between July 2015 and September 2019, with each charge carrying maximum penalty that ranges from 10 to 15 years in jail.
Prosecutor Natalie Simpson told the court that Harper’s offending was exposed after the sale of his family home in April 2019.
Ms Simpson said the new owner was renovating the house when he found a discarded white shoe in a wardrobe containing multiple USB sticks that were storing child pornography as well as prison documents.
Harper also admitted to sharing images on an online chat forum.
“It is about doing something you are not allowed to do, something that is taboo. That is what is exciting,” Harper told police during his initial interview.
Harper was also put on the sex offender register for life.
Court told of text kill threats
Claire Nicoll, 25 faced the Geelong Magistrates Court in May after sending a series of threatening text messages to her corrections case worker.
Nicholl pleaded guilty to sending abusive messages stating that she would “kill you now” and “mark my words”, after becoming angry with her case worker in August last year.
In one text message read out in court, she told the case worker “you and your boss can die together for your unprofessional mistakes.”
“You’re losing everything and dying because of your lack of morals,” she said.
Nicholl was charged with using a carriage service to make threats to inflict serious injury.
Sugar daddy creep jailed
Leopold man Robert Kanen, 58, was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to using social media to target vulnerable teenagers more than 40 years his junior.
The self proclaimed “sugar daddy” was charged with using a carriage service for sexual activity with a person under 16, three charges of using a carriage service to cause child abuse material to be transmitted and two counts of using a carriage service to procure sex with a child under 16.
In one instance, Kanen sent a 13-year-old girl a video of himself masturbating through the social media app Snapchat.
He spoke to another teenage girl, sending her gifts in exchange for child abuse images of herself.
On one occasion, Kanen met with two girls under 16 and spent four hours with them in various stores where he bought them gifts.
When he invited them back to his hotel room and “indicated he wanted to engage in sexual activity”, both girls declined.
Judge Angela Ellis described the offending as serious and said one of the girls had lost her confidence, disengaged from school and struggled to trust people.
Kanen was sentenced to a total effective sentence of two years and 11 months’ imprisonment, with 673 days marked as time served. He will be registered as a sex offender for life.
No prison for cruel and violating messages
Jessica Dixon, 27 received a community corrections order without conviction after encouraging her partner to take his own life via a series of messages.
The victim, Tyrone Reith-Myers received abusive messages from Dixon across a number of social media platforms and by text between December 2017 and April 2019, before he sadly took his own life.
In March, the Geelong Magistrates Court heard Dixon admitted to police that the messages would have made Mr Reith-Myers “feel like s---”.
The Mount Duneed woman, who was found guilty of using a carriage service to relentlessly abuse her partner, had previously been charged with stalking; however, the charges were not proven.
Magistrate Simon Guthrie told the court “it was tempting” to convict Dixon but he chose not to due to her age and lack of priors.
“The offending was cruel, vicious, threatening and it was violating … making it very difficult for me to consider you a beautiful soul who wants the best for everyone,” he said.
Belmont Gamer preyed on teens
Belmont gamer, Kyle Bourke, 23, used online platforms including Skype, Steam and Snapchat to groom young girls under the age of sixteen.
The County Court heard in November that Bourke, who was aged between 17 and 20 years old at the time, was encouraging the underage teens to send explicit pictures of themselves and went as far as to control one victims behaviour, including when she ate, slept and showered.
During a conversation with a 15-year-old in 2016, Bourke said: “Just spread your legs and put the (web) cam close … make sure you’re sitting down not standing up.”
On another occasion when Bourke was 18 years old he told one of the girls, who was 15 at the time: “If you show me your boobs now, I’ll be your boyfriend now”.
His offending took place between April 2016 and December 2018.
When police arrested Bourke in December 2018, they found four videos and one image of child pornography on his phone.
Bourke pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to harass, receive child pornography, indecent communication with a person under 16 years old, soliciting child pornography and possessing child pornography.
Grovedale man jailed after sex sting
Grovedale man, Andrew O’Halloran was jailed for 24 months after describing depraved sexual fantasies with children to an undercover police officer.
O’Halloran, 37, was sentenced before the Geelong County Court in August, 2021 after earlier pleading guilty to using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material.
The court heard that O’Halloran began speaking with an undercover police officer who was using the name Tara in 2019.
Using an online messaging service O’Halloran started making inappropriate comments about Tara’s fictitious nine-year-old child, even suggesting sexual intercourse with the child for “educational purposes.”
The court heard O’Halloran had conversations with two other unidentified women pertaining to child abuse.
O’Halloran was arrested in April 2020, after police raided the house where he lived.
Officers seized computers, USBs, phones and more than 30,000 files of nudist colony photos and videos featuring young girls.
In sentencing, Judge Frank Gucciardo said O’Halloran’s behaviour was “repugnant”.
O’Halloran was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.
Bell Park dad’s ‘jealous rage’
Bell Park dad, Aaron Shugg, 27, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, destroying property, making threats to kill and using a carriage service to harass after tracking down a woman using a mobile phone app.
Shugg, aged 27 at the time of the hearing, admitted to attending a Kilgour Street property armed with a metal pole after flying into a “jealous rage.”
He smashed walls, a window and property as the woman hid inside a bathroom.
The Geelong County Court heard that Shugg attended the property in September 2020 after he pressured a relation of the woman to track her via a phone app.
After his rampage Shugg called the victim about 40 times and sent a series of abusive and threatening messages, calling the woman a “slut”.
In one message, the court heard Shugg said to the victim “I know I am going to get locked up regardless, so I am going to make it worth it”.
Prosecutor Andrew McKenry said the offending displayed “possessiveness and controlling abuse”.
Shugg walked free after he was sentenced to time already served and put on a community corrections order.
He had spent 23 days in custody after his arrest.
Snapchat creep avoids jail
Corio man Jamie Battle avoided jail time after a police sting exposed him as a sex creep targeting a 14-year-old over Snapchat.
The 20-year-old man was sentenced at the County Court to a community corrections order in August, 2021.
Battle was busted in November 2019, when he engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old girl.
During the 39-minute exchange, Battle claimed to be 15-year-old as he sent the other user a photo of his penis and made repeated requests for nude images.
Battle urged the girl to “go to the bathroom and take off your clothes” after she said she was at school and asked her “do you wanna have sex one day?”
Battle, who was 19 at the time, was sending the messages from a Snapchat account in his own name.
He pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material.
Judge Wendy Wilmoth said while the crime often resulted in jail terms, she decided prison was not warranted in Battle’s case, given his youth, special needs and other mitigating factors.
Battle was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order, with a condition that he take part in a sex offender program.
He was also been placed on the sex offenders’ register for an eight-year period.
Man groomed 13-year-old
St Leonard’s man Rodney Biggs was 31-years-old when he engaged in sexually explicit conversations with a teenager via Facebook Messenger in early 2019.
The Geelong Magistrates Court heard Biggs told the 13-year-old victim that she was “hot” and that she “turned him on”, while at one stage he said: “Damn babe, I love that you’re 13.”
In March 2021, Biggs then aged 33, pleaded guilty to grooming a child under 16, possessing child exploitation material and using a carriage service to make threats.
Prosecutor Senior Constable Jacki Davis said Biggs came to police attention in January 2019 after he struck up a conversation with the 13-year-old girl via an “emo goth” Facebook page.
The pair sent messages to each other over several days before the girl’s father became aware. Among the messages, Biggs — who acknowledged he was 31 — told the teen, “That’s OK”, when she revealed her young age.
During a raid at Biggs’ property, police officers uncovered child abuse material on two laptops and his personal mobile phone.
More Coverage
Originally published as Police reveal how online apps like Snapchat are putting children at risk
Andy versus Andrew: Rivalry renewed in battle for Deakin
Two veteran Geelong politicians will go head to head for a hotly contested ward in the city’s south.
GCA wrap: Club breaks 995-day drought, Warriors win thriller
After 33 games without a win, Marshall Bears have broken their drought in emphatic fashion. Plus, a skipper has led his side to a thrilling win. See how the GCA2, 3 and 4 action unfolded here.