Man charged with 116 child abuse offences actively targeted minors online, allege police
Police are warning parents to remain vigilant about their child's online activity after a Queensland man was charged with raping and stalking children he met online.
Dion Adam Lingard, 31, was arrested after a search warrant was executed at a Sunshine Coast property in February.
He was charged with 116 offences including rape, stalking, taking a child for immoral purposes, indecent treatment of a child, possessing and making child exploitation material and supplying dangerous drugs.
Police will allege he had been actively targeting minors online since August last year.
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Police have charged a 31-year-old Queensland man with 116 child abuse offences, alleging he had been actively monitoring minors online since August last year. Queensland Police
Detective Inspector Chris Toohey said police had identified two female victims aged between 12 and 14 and were working with their families to provide support.
"We're still going through a plethora of material that was seized that day," Toohey told reporters today.
"As far as we're concerned at this stage, there are no other victims but we're still proceeding with this investigation."
Toohey said the arrest served as a reminder for parents to monitor their child's online activity.
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Parents are being urged to monitor their child's online activity in the wake of the arrest. Queensland Police
"Stranger danger doesn't just happen out on the streets, it happens inside your house and inside your room," Toohey said.
"So as parents I think we have to have that reminder to make sure we are monitoring what our children are doing and who they're speaking to.
"Platforms can be targeted by anyone so it can be a gaming site, or a chat site of any description, but we're going to find predators looking for ways to meet children online."
To keep your child safe online, the child protection unit advises to
- Keep your computer in the living room
- Understand how to use parenting controls on internet browsers
- Educate your child on online safety
- Track who your child speaks to online
- Never allow an unsupervised meeting with someone they have met online
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