Teacher Charged With Online Grooming of Teenager in NSW School District
On March 26th morning reports emerged that an Australian public high-school educator was formally accused and subsequently arrested for allegedly engaging online sexual activity with a minor. The teacher, who reportedly asked the victim to send explicit images via social media platforms like Snapchat or WhatsApp while posing as her father's friend in late February, has been charged by police authorities following these allegations of grooming behavior against an individual identified at 14 years old during investigations into his digital interactions and communications with minors online.
Key Points
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1A Sydney teacher has been charged with grooming after allegedly offering sexual favors and exchanging them for cash.
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2The accused, Benjamin David Collinge (29), is a male educator working at Newington College in the northern suburbs of Sydney.
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3Police received reports last week that led to investigations into his communication on social media platforms.
Developments
A 29-year-old schoolteacher in northern Sydney has been arrested and refused bail for allegedly offering a 14-year-old girl money via social media to exchange sexually explicit material. The educator faces charges under an ongoing police operation targeting online child exploitation, including grooming minors of the age group involved as well as accessing such content illegally.
Benjamin David Collinge (age 29), a teacher at Sydney's Newington College, was arrested and charged with grooming a minor online by soliciting sexually explicit material from an unnamed girl for money via social media as part of Strike Force Trawler. He faces court on Thursday after being refused bail during the investigation conducted by NSW Police Child Exploitation Unit detectives in Beecroft at approximately 5:45 am this morning
Sydney teacher Benjamin David Collinge, 29, has been arrested by police as part of Strike Force Trawler and charged with grooming a minor online using social media to solicit sexually explicit material for money after refusing bail. He faces court on Thursday regarding charges that include the use of carriage services to groom minors and access child abuse materials following an investigation into internet sexual exploitation.
A 29-year-old Sydney teacher has been arrested, charged with grooming a minor online by soliciting sexually explicit material and money via social media as part of Strike Force Trawler's investigation into child exploitation. The suspect was refused bail after police conducted an early morning search at his Beecroft residence on Thursday night; he will appear in court later that day for charges including using carriage services to groom a minor and access child abuse images.