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| Justin Bieber Impersonator Is Charged With Child-Sex Crimes | Justin Bieber Impersonator Is Charged With Child-Sex Crimes |
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| A 42-year-old Australian man has been charged with committing more than 900 child-sex offenses after he was accused of pretending to be the pop star Justin Bieber to solicit explicit online photographs from children, the Queensland Police Service said on Thursday. | A 42-year-old Australian man has been charged with committing more than 900 child-sex offenses after he was accused of pretending to be the pop star Justin Bieber to solicit explicit online photographs from children, the Queensland Police Service said on Thursday. |
| The police said that the victims included dozens of Mr. Bieber’s fans in Australia, Britain and the United States. The 23-year-old Canadian pop singer, whose rise to stardom was driven in large part by support from adoring young fans, is on tour in Australia. | The police said that the victims included dozens of Mr. Bieber’s fans in Australia, Britain and the United States. The 23-year-old Canadian pop singer, whose rise to stardom was driven in large part by support from adoring young fans, is on tour in Australia. |
| The suspect, who has not been identified by name, was already facing charges in Queensland State of possessing material exploiting children, and of using the internet and social media to entrap children under age 16, the police said. | The suspect, who has not been identified by name, was already facing charges in Queensland State of possessing material exploiting children, and of using the internet and social media to entrap children under age 16, the police said. |
| He now faces a further 931 criminal charges for offenses including rape, the indecent treatment of children and “making child-exploitation material” that the police said stretched back at least a decade. | He now faces a further 931 criminal charges for offenses including rape, the indecent treatment of children and “making child-exploitation material” that the police said stretched back at least a decade. |
| The police raided the home of the suspect after he initially refused to allow access to his social media accounts. Investigators examined his computer, the police said, and found that he was using applications including Facebook and Skype to communicate with his victims and lure them into sending him explicit images. | The police raided the home of the suspect after he initially refused to allow access to his social media accounts. Investigators examined his computer, the police said, and found that he was using applications including Facebook and Skype to communicate with his victims and lure them into sending him explicit images. |
| Detective Inspector Jon Rouse, who works on a Queensland Police Service task force devoted to combating the sexual exploitation of children online, described the offenses as “frankly horrendous.” He said it was imperative that the parents of Bieber fans be vigilant. | Detective Inspector Jon Rouse, who works on a Queensland Police Service task force devoted to combating the sexual exploitation of children online, described the offenses as “frankly horrendous.” He said it was imperative that the parents of Bieber fans be vigilant. |
| “This investigation demonstrates both the vulnerability of children that are utilizing social media and communication applications, and the global reach and skill that child-sex offenders have to groom and seduce victims,” Inspector Rouse said in a statement. “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.” | “This investigation demonstrates both the vulnerability of children that are utilizing social media and communication applications, and the global reach and skill that child-sex offenders have to groom and seduce victims,” Inspector Rouse said in a statement. “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.” |
| The case comes amid intensifying concern across the globe that children are being sexually exploited online. In Denmark, a 70-year-old man recently went on trial accused of ordering the rape or sexual abuse of 346 Filipino children. At least one of the victims was as young as 3. | |
| Prosecutors said the man, a retiree living on the outskirts of Copenhagen, had paid for live, online sex shows from the Philippines. | Prosecutors said the man, a retiree living on the outskirts of Copenhagen, had paid for live, online sex shows from the Philippines. |
| According to the international police organization Interpol, a majority of crimes against children usually take place within the home or the family circle. | According to the international police organization Interpol, a majority of crimes against children usually take place within the home or the family circle. |
| But Interpol has attributed a surge in child-related offenses to the internet, because it gives predators easy access to abusive material as well as a means to contact children via chat rooms or social networking sites. | But Interpol has attributed a surge in child-related offenses to the internet, because it gives predators easy access to abusive material as well as a means to contact children via chat rooms or social networking sites. |
| A recent study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime noted that social networking sites included an abundance of biographical information on potential victims that could be exploited by abusers, while children often lacked discretion and relied on a sometimes false sense of privacy and safety. | A recent study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime noted that social networking sites included an abundance of biographical information on potential victims that could be exploited by abusers, while children often lacked discretion and relied on a sometimes false sense of privacy and safety. |
| “Offenders are able to gain easier access to larger and new populations of children through the use of online forums, email, social networks and other internet-based communication tools,” the study said. | “Offenders are able to gain easier access to larger and new populations of children through the use of online forums, email, social networks and other internet-based communication tools,” the study said. |
| The report also found that child abusers can have relatively high education levels, making them more adept at using technology. | The report also found that child abusers can have relatively high education levels, making them more adept at using technology. |