A 62-year-old man was arrested at his Lake Heights home in 2024 and subsequently found guilty of grooming a teenager online. Photo: AFP.
An Illawarra man will spend at least a year behind bars after he tried to groom a UK teenager via social media.
An Australian Federal Police (AFP) spokesperson said child protection operations officers arrested the man at a property in Lake Heights, near Wollongong, in February 2024.
The AFP told a court the 62-year-old man used social media to talk to a person he believed was a 14-year-old boy in the UK, grooming him for sexual activity and sharing child abuse material.
An investigation into the man’s activities began when the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the agency’s London post about a UK investigation into an Australian man accused of engaging in online child sexual exploitation.
Police inquiries linked the Lake Heights man to the illegal online activity.
A search warrant was executed at the man’s Lake Heights home in February 2024, when investigators found child abuse material and records of online communications with the boy stored on a computer.
The man was subsequently charged with one count of failing to comply with reporting obligations, in contravention of the NSW Child Protection (Offenders Registration) Act.
This offence carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.
The man was also charged with four counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material. This offence carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment.
He was also charged with one count of possessing child abuse material which has been obtained or accessed using a carriage service. This offence carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment.
He pleaded guilty to all six charges on 21 November, 2024.
At the Downing Centre District Court in Sydney on Friday (28 March, 2025), the man was sentenced to four years and two months’ jail.
With time served, he will be eligible for release on parole on 15 August, 2026.
AFP detective, Acting Inspector Emmanuel Tsardoulias, said the investigation highlighted how police around the world collaborated to combat the exploitation and abuse of children.
“Our common goal is to protect children wherever they live, and to ensure anyone who tries to harm them is identified and brought before the courts,” Detective Acting Inspector Tsardoulias said.
“We are committed to stopping any Australian who wishes to exploit the innocence of children – either living in their community or on the other side of the world – to fulfil their own selfish desires.
“The AFP has strong working relationships with international partners, and this investigation shows how effective law enforcement cooperation is when identifying offenders in different parts of the world.”
The ACCCE is a key part of Australia’s work to stop child abuse.
The ACCCE brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into online child sexual exploitation and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.
Members of the public who have information about people involved in child abuse are urged to contact the ACCCE.
If you know abuse is currently happening, or a child is at risk, call police immediately on triple zero.
If you are, or someone you know is, impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available.
For a full list of available support services in Australia, head to the ACCCE website.
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