Police have arrested a cruise ship passenger as he disembarked at Sydney’s International Passenger Terminal. The man was detained on suspicion of attempting to groom a child for inappropriate activity.
The 48-year-old, a resident of Griffith, New South Wales, hasn’t been named. According to the New South Wales Police Sex Crimes Squad, he arranged online to meet up with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl on his return from the South Pacific cruise vacation.
Police began an investigation in June when detectives discovered an anonymous online user attempting to contact children. “During the investigation, the man allegedly sent inappropriate photos and videos to — who he believed — was a 14-year-old girl,” NSW police said.
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Man charged makes an appearance in Sydney court
He was charged with using a carriage service to procure a child under 16 years for sexual activity. After being questioned, he was denied bail and first appeared in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Friday.
NSW Police said the arrest is part of the broader Strike Force Trawler investigation into online grooming, which is overseen by the police’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit.
According to Cruisemapper data, the man was a guest on the P&O Cruises Australia ship Pacific Adventure, which docked in Sydney one hour before the arrest was made.
The ship had been on a 10-day ‘Discover Vanuatu’ round-trip cruise, calling at Mystery Island, Port Vila, and Champagne Bay in the South Pacific island nation.
The ship departed later on Friday for a short roundtrip cruise to Moreton Island, Queensland.
The Pacific Adventure (formerly Golden Princess) will eventually be rebranded and integrated into the Carnival Cruise Line fleet early next year when the P&O Cruises Australia brand is phased out.
Last month, two Carnival Cruise Line crew members were arrested in New Orleans after inappropriate images of minors were discovered in their possession.
