A Sydney man charged over the online sexual exploitation of a nine-year-old girl in Canada has been identified as a racing car driver.
Jayson David Darke was arrested at Riverwood in Sydney’s south on February 8 and faced Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday.
The 42-year-old was the owner and driver of Jayson Darke Motorsports and ran a children’s charity.
Police will allege Darke was communicating online with a woman in Canada and engaging in sexually-explicit conversations about her nine-year-old daughter.
Racing car driver Jayson Darke has been charged with the online sexual exploitation of a nine-year-old Canadian girl
Jayson Darke, 42, was arrested after a tip-off from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The owner and driver for Jayson Darke Motorsport has been granted conditional bail
Srike Force Trawler detectives will allege he requested photographs of the child and engaged in an explicit video call with the girl.
Darke told Daily Mail Australia he had spoken with the girl’s mother in August and September 2016 but vehemently denied ever having any sexual discussions with the girl.
‘I love children but I don’t love them in that sense,’ Darke said.
‘I’ve done some stupid things and I’ve said some stupid things. Those conversations, I did say some stupid things but none of them were real.
‘Saying something and actually taking it further and acting on it are two different things.’
Darke said he had met the mother via Facebook through a woman he had known in Canada. ‘I never met her in person,’ he said. ‘I never met the daughter.’
He had been suffering serious mental problems at the time of the conversations, having sustained a major head injury.
Alleged online sex offender and racing car driver Jayson Darke established a children’s charity
Police allege racing car driver Jayson Darke engaged in sexually explicit conversations with a Canadian mother about her nine-year-old girl
‘I don’t want to say it’s a joke or it’s a game but I wasn’t saying any of this stuff in a very serious way,’ Darke said.
‘I just hope that I can get across that saying something and actually going ahead and doing something are two different things.’
Shortly after Darke’s arrest a search warrant was executed at a nearby home unit near, where investigators seized laptops, mobile phones, electronic storage devices and an extendable baton.
Darke was taken to Kogarah police station and charged with two counts of using a carriage service for child pornography, using a carriage service for sexual activity with a person under 16 years, and possessing a prohibited weapon.
Jayson Darke told Daily Mail Australia he had never had a sexual discussion with the girl, 9
The former racing car driver suffered a serious head injury in 2001 and had mental problems
He was granted strict conditional bail to appear at Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday, when his matter was adjourned until May 1.
According to his Linkedin profile Darke has been racing cars since the age of 16.
In 2001 he had a serious crash in a Hyundai Elantra ‘that could have ended his life’ and was told by doctors he would never race again.
After months of rehabilitation he recovered enough to move to Spain where he raced for three years. He later resumed racing in Australia.
Darke was to compete in the the 2015 Shannons National Australian Manufacturers Championships, NSW Production Touring Car and IRace Championships in a Subaru BRZ.
Srike Force Trawler detectives will allege Jayson Darke requested photographs of a nine-year-old child and engaged in an explicit video call with the girl
Jayson Darke has been charged with two counts of using a carriage service for child pornography, using a carriage service for sexual activity with a person under 16 years, and possess prohibited weapon
Shortly after Darke’s arrest a search warrant was executed at a nearby home unit near, where investigators seized laptops, mobile phones, electronic storage devices and an extendable baton
‘Jayson Darke Motorsports is a passionate race team and none more so than the owner/driver Jayson himself,’ an online profile says.
‘With his passion for racing and the greater community, Jayson Darke and the whole team have established a new initiative in Project #34, a charitable project to benefit children.
‘This will be a major driving force for the team in 2015.’
Darke was arrested following an investigation by detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) which began in September last year after a referral from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Those investigations are continuing. Darke was sacked from his job as a truck driver when he told his boss about the charges.
Strike Force Trawler is an ongoing investigation by the CEIU into the sexual abuse and exploitation of children facilitated through the internet and related telecommunications devices.
Anyone with information about internet predators should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Jayson Darke appeared in Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday and his bail was continued