Hunter Man Charged With Grooming

BY OLIVIA DILLON

Detectives from the State Crime Command's Sex Crimes Squad have charged a man following an investigation into online grooming in the Hunter region. 

Officers have spent the last month connecting online with a 47-year-old man in Port Stephens, posing as a woman and her daughter, aged under ten years. 

The man reportedly engaged in highly-sexualised conversations, sent child abuse material, and arranged to meet the pair for sexual activity. 

He was arrested at a home in Tanilba Bay yesterday at about 7:30am. 

Police also seized several electronic storage devices and other items, which will undergo examination. 

He was formally refused bail, and will appear before Newcastle Local Court next Wednesday. 

Lake Macquarie Photo Scandal

BY ALEX MURRAY

Tonight, an important part of the agenda for the Lake Macquarie City Council meeting is for the calls of a permanent removal of two photographs of convicted child sex offenders hanging in the administration building as former council members.

Milton Orkopoulos of 2008 and Douglas Carley in 2009 were both convicted of criminal offences, causing a community outcry to have them permanently taken down.

A notice of motion tonight lead by Liberal councillor, Kevin Baker tonight is aiming to completely discard any photographs, plaques or honourable memorabilia of existing and future offenders in other buildings around the city.

Councillor Baker has expressed the photographs have been temporarily taken down but there needs to be a sense of permanency and consistency with cases such as these in the future.

"This issue with the photographs could have resolved plain and simply many years ago when these two men were convicted."

"Tonight I will be lifting the confidentiality of the confidential meeting held in 2016, I believed it was unlawful we closed that meeting in November and as such, I am moving a recession motion."

"I'm seeking to move the motion to make certain they are taken down permanently, quite simply we should not be honouring criminals in any shape or form and I am attempting to correct that tonight."