A man has been charged after allegedly engaging a teenage girl online and sexually assaulting her in Sydney's south.
Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commenced an investigation following reports a 13-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted by a man she met on a social media application in June 2019.
The incident was reported to local police before being referred to the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad for further investigation.
Following extensive inquiries, detectives arrested an 18-year-old man at a home in Quakers Hill just before 8.30am yesterday, Tuesday.
The man was taken to Riverstone Police Station and charged with three counts of sexual intercourse with child between the ages of 10 and 14.
Police will allege in court that the man sexually assaulted the girl at a home in Sydney's south on Sunday, June 9.
He was refused bail and appeared at Blacktown Local Court yesterday, where he was formally refused bail to re-appear at the same court on Tuesday 3 September 2019.
Meanwhile, police are urging parents and carers to speak with their children about staying safe online.
Safe internet use - tips for parents:
- Be aware of how much time your child spends on the internet.
- Spend time talking to your child about the dangers associated with online conversations, particularly when communicating with someone that they have only ever met online.
- Spend time exploring the internet with your children and let them teach you about their favourite websites and applications.
- Keep computers or internet-enabled devices in a room the whole family can access, not in your child's bedroom; monitor internet access on those devices.
- Consider installing filtering and/or computer blocking software provided by your internet service provider.
- Ensure you are able to access your child's email and social media accounts and randomly check the contents.
- Check your phone bill for unusual outgoing calls and consider using 'caller ID' to identify incoming calls.
- Consult your telephone company for options designed to ensure privacy and security.
- Enquire with your child's school, public library, and places they frequent to find out what internet safety measures they have in place.
Information on internet safety is available on the NSW Police website
