By Perry Duffin
A retired priest has been arrested while allegedly trying to groom a 14-year-old boy online.
Earlier this year, Facebook identified an account allegedly sharing child abuse material overseas, closed the account and contacted police.
Guy Hartcher was arrested at Pendle Hill in Sydney on Monday.Credit: NSW Police
Police say they tracked the account to 77-year-old Guy Hartcher and began posing as a 14-year-old boy online, Superintendent Jayne Doherty told media on Tuesday.
“Investigators, purporting to be a 14-year-old boy, chatted online with that person, who then shared with us a number of sexually explicit photographs and discussed, in detail, sexually explicit acts he would like to commit with that boy,” Doherty said.
Hartcher allegedly made plans to meet the boy at Pendle Hill and arrived at lunchtime on Monday.
Doherty said Hartcher was surprised when he was confronted by detectives from undercover online Strikeforce Trawler. He was arrested and charged with procuring a person under 16 years old for sex and sending indecent material to a person under 16.
“It’s extremely serious. We have a 77-year-old male, who we allege has turned up to meet a 14-year-old boy for sexual activity. There is no more serious or grave offence against a child,” Doherty said.
Doherty said her detectives were now digging into Hartcher’s seized electronic devices and believed he had had “similar conversations” in the past.
Doherty said Hartcher had no previous convictions.
Hartcher had been living in retirement in Sydney for the last decade after his time in the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers ended.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.