Kurri Kurri Man Arrested at Singleton Caravan Park Over Alleged Online Grooming of 14-Year-Old Girl

BY ISABEL EVERETT

Strike Force Trawler detectives have charged a man from the Hunter Valley following an investigation into the alleged online grooming of a child.

In May, detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) began engaging online with a man from Kurri Kurri.

Police will allege the man believed he was speaking with a 14-year-old girl and engaged in conversations about sexually-explicit acts he wished to perform with the child and sent her explicit material.

About 9.40am on Wednesday July 1st, following extensive inquiries, strike force investigators arrested a 47-year-old man at a caravan park in Singleton.

The man was taken to Singleton Police Station and charged with use carriage service to solicit child abuse material and use carriage service to groom child under 16 years for sex.

He was refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court today.

Port Stephens Teacher Charged With Alleged Sexual Grooming

BY JESSICA ROUSE

An employee at a school in Port Stephens has been charged over alleged child grooming offences.

Investigations under Strike Force Minnamorra started in June to investigate a number of explicit messages and phone calls being exchanged between a female teacher and a male student in 2015.

Police will allege a number of phone calls and messages were sent between a 50-year-old employee and a 15-year-old male student.

Detectives also discovered a second student, aged 16, was involved in sending and receiving messages and phone calls with the same woman.

At about 3:30pm yesterday the 50-year-old was interviewed and later charged at Raymond Terrace Police Station with groom child for unlawful sexual activity, use carriage service to groom child under 16 years for sex and use carriage service to menace/harass/offend.

She was given conditional bail and will front Raymond Terrace Local Court on November 6.

The woman is no longer employed by the school.