Three Gold Coast men have been charged following a covert police operation targeting online child exploitation.
The men, aged 73, 50, and 25, are accused of chatting online with who they believed to be a child and arranging to meet up with the child for sex.
The ‘child’ however, was a covert online profile maintained by Argos detectives.
The investigation was launched on Sunday, November 19 involving detectives from Argos and the Gold Coast Child Protection and Investigation Unit.
It will be alleged all three men attended various Gold Coast locations between November 20 and 21 with the intention of meeting with the ‘child’.
Police have released body-cam footage of the arrest of two of the men, which can be viewed below.
In one of the arrests, a policeman appears to remove a box of condoms from the accused’s pocket.
Detective Inspector Glen Donaldson of the Child Abuse and Sexual Crime Group’s unit Argos said the Queensland Police Service is committed to relentlessly targeting those who seek to sexually exploit children online.
“Everyday detectives from Argos operate across a range of online platforms to identify and prosecute offenders who seek to exploit our children,” Detective Inspector Donaldson said.
“This operation highlights that parents and caregivers need to have regular conversations with their children about online safety and the importance of having a trusted adult that they can confide in if they are worried about an online experience or are feeling unsafe.”
WATCH:
A 73-year-old Currumbin Waters man has been charged with grooming a parent or carer of a child under 16 years with intent to facilitate the procurement of the child to engage in a sexual act.
A 50-year-old Arundel man has been charged with grooming a parent or carer of a child under 16 years with intent to facilitate the procurement of the child to engage in a sexual act.
A 25-year-old Southport man has been charged with grooming a parent or carer of a child under 16 years with intent to facilitate the procurement of the child to engage in a sexual act.
The men are all expected to appear before Southport Magistrates Court on December 5.
