Man facing grooming charges pretended to be teen: police

A 31-year-old Dunedin man allegedly pretending to be a teen has been arrested and is facing charges relating to the sexual grooming of a young person.

Dunedin Child Protection Team Detective Sergeant Regan Boucher said the man was arrested after he allegedly made contact with victims online while pretending to be a 15-year-old boy.

The man was facing charges relating to various sexual offences, including meeting a young person following sexual grooming.

The alleged offender created fictitious online profiles and went by the Yubo username of ‘Jack’ and the Snapchat username of ‘Goldenboy 3375’ to arrange to meet victims he had contacted online.

The man would appear in Dunedin District Court on November 26.

"This is an important reminder that the internet is a place where people are able to remain anonymous and prey on the vulnerable."

No further details could be released due to the age of the victims and the matter being before the court, Det Sgt Boucher said.

 

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