A 23-year-old Hunter man has been charged, and was expected to face court on Thursday, over allegedly attempting to groom a 14-year-old girl online for sex.
Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad's Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) began engaging online with the man in December, police said.
Officers will allege that he believed he was speaking with a 14-year-old girl and engaged in conversations about sexually-explicit acts he wished to perform on the child.
Strike Force Trawler detectives made the arrest at a home near Newcastle around 9.30am on Wednesday following extensive investigations, police said.
It followed another unrelated incident in which a 48-year-old man at Williamtown appeared in court on Wednesday over charges he was allegedly found to be in possession of child abuse material and tried to procure a 13-year-old child online.
A search warrant was executed at the home shortly after the arrest, where detectives seized documents and a mobile phone.
The man was taken to Waratah Police Station and charged with use carriage service to groom person under 16 years old for sex.
He was refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court on Thursday.
Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad Commander, Detective Acting Superintendent Chris Goddard, said all parents need to speak with their children regularly about online safety.
"With school holidays about to end, it's a timely reminder to keep an eye on how much time your child is spending on the internet, what websites they are visiting, and who they may be speaking with," Det. Acting Supt. Goddard said.
"Not only should young people be very careful about providing personal information details to a person they only know in an online environment, they should never organise to meet as doing so may place them at further risk of harm.
"If they encounter something or someone they are not comfortable with, we encourage them to speak to someone they trust, who can then let our investigators know."
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. Regular covert online investigations are conducted by the CEIU, and police work closely with their law-enforcement colleagues interstate and overseas.
Anyone with information about internet predators should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. More information and educational packages for parents and children are available from ThinkUKnow, a multi-agency online cyber safety program.
