A HOPPERS Crossing mother has urged parents to monitor their children’s internet use after her 12-year-old son was befriended by a convicted sex offender.
Jodie Sturrock knew “something wasn’t right” when her son started talking about a new, older friend who had been socialising with his group at skate parks in the Wyndham area.
She said the man had been taking photographs of their skate tricks.
“I said, ‘I don’t think you should associate with this person, I think he might have an ulterior motive.’ That turned into an argument and I couldn’t sleep that night,” she said.
Ms Sturrock phoned police the next day and burst into tears when she was told the man was a registered sex offender. She has since instructed her son to stay away from him.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Narelle Young said a Truganina man, 28, had allegedly communicated with a group of children via social networking websites and often hung out at skate parks with kids as young as 10. A search warrant was executed on his house on September 21 after Ms Sturrock notified detectives from Wyndham police’s sex offenders unit.
They allegedly found child pornography in print and stored on USB sticks and DVDs. The man was arrested at an indoor skate park.
He was released on November 23 after two months in custody and bailed to reappear at Sunshine Magistrates Court in February, facing charges of possessing child pornography and failing to comply with reporting obligations. Material stored on the man’s mobile phones and laptops remains under police examination.
Detective Young praised Ms Sturrock’s “motherly intuition” to alert police.
Ms Sturrock said internet safety was a “huge concern” and urged parents to be vigilant about who their children were talking to on social media.
“Kids think the more friends they have on Facebook the more popular they are and they’ll just add anybody who wants to be friends.”
