Brisbane Airport arrest: Man, 30, returning from overseas posed as a teen to groom girls

A 30-year-old man has been arrested as he returned from overseas for allegedly grooming children online while posing as a 14-year-old boy.

He was arrested on Thursday at Brisbane Airport after being stopped by Australian Border Force officers. 

Police allege the man posed as a teenage boy to entice young girls to send him sexually explicit material and also made attempts to meet at least one child for sexual intercourse. 

Police allege the man posed as a teenage boy to entice female children to provide child exploitation material and made attempts to meet at least one child for sexual intercourse

He was charged with possessing child exploitation material and grooming a child under 16 to engage in a sexual act.

He was also charged with using the internet to procure a child under 16, intentionally meeting a child and two counts of exposing a child under 16 to indecent matter. 

He was taken into custody to appear at the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.

Detective Inspector Glen Donaldson of Argos said despite everything taught to children about online safety they are still actively engaging in unsafe practices such as sending intimate images of themselves and speaking with strangers online.

‘Research by the Commonwealth eSafety Commissioner has identified that 1 in 4 children have been approached by a stranger online. This is extremely concerning and highlights the need for parents to be aware of their child’s online footprint and to speak with their child about online safety,’ Det Donaldson said.

‘Supervision is the key to prevention, as is ongoing communication with children about how to stay safe online and the dangers of having online ‘friends’ they have never met face-to-face.’

Detective Donaldson encouraged parents to continue to educate their children and have conversations about online safety and what to do if they feel unsafe.