Queensland

Save
Print
License article

Man posed as Justin Bieber on Facebook to groom children: police

A man who allegedly posed as Justin Bieber online to get explicit images of young children has been charged with more than 900 child sex offences.

After an examination of his computer, Taskforce Argos detectives this week charged the 42-year-old man with 931 charges of child sex offences.

The Brisbane man, who is behind bars, had previously been charged with a number of child sex offences including possessing child exploitation material and using a carriage service to groom persons under 16.

Police said the man posed as the popular singer on platforms such as Facebook and Skype to communicate with his victims.

It is alleged the offences date back to at least 2007.

On Thursday, detectives further charged the man with rape, indecent treatment of children, making child exploitation material, using a carriage service to procure persons under 16 and using a carriage service for child pornography material.

Advertisement

Detective Inspector Jon Rouse urged children and their parents to be "extra vigilant" when using the internet.

"The fact that so many children could believe that they were communicating with this particular celebrity highlights the need for a serious rethink about the way that we as a society educate our children about online safety," he said.

"The breadth of offences committed in this instance are frankly horrendous and I want to recognise the efforts and commitment of the investigative team at Taskforce Argos to keeping children safe."

The man will appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on April 6.

Justin Bieber will be performing in Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Monday.

Ads help pay for the award-winning journalism you're enjoying today.

Thank you for your support. Please add us to your ad-blockers whitelist. Find out how