Western Australian police have highlighted a recent case where a 30-year-old man was charged with the alleged sexual assault of a teenager.
The teen was reported missing last month after he struck up a conversation online via a social media app. The boy’s family noticed he was missing and alerted police who were able to track down the teen.
Police allege the accused man lured the teen to his home by sending a ride-share vehicle to their home to pick them up, and once at the offenders Cloverdale home the young man was sexually assaulted.
The man has been remanded in custody and will face Perth Magistrate’s Court on 31st July.
Speaking to the media this week Detective Sergeant Chris Lockwood showed that both physical and online sexual abuse could happen very quickly.
Lockwood said the police are building up their relationships with social media companies to tackle this type of crime, but it was essential that children don’t communicate with people they don’t know online.He urged parents to be vigilant.
“It’s really hard to know what children are doing unless you’re actively involved with them, and it’s about educating yourself as parents and also being involved, you know, quite closely monitoring your your children’s activities online,” he said.
To learn more about online safety head to the E-Safety Commission.
