Thursday, 19 May 2022 - 6:56am |
Tasman

Arrest made following investigation into harmful online activity

1 min read

The following statement is attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Ciaran Sloan:

Marlborough Police have arrested a 56-year-old man following an investigation into harmful online activity which targeted predominantly teenage girls from the Marlborough area.

Late last week, Marlborough Police became aware that a number of young women's pictures had been taken from social media sites and doctored with sexually explicit additions for reposting to adult websites.

Marlborough investigators travelled to Nelson and located the person responsible for these postings.

“This type of crime is extremely upsetting for those affected by it and I am glad we have been able to stop this person from causing more harm,” says Detective Senior Sergeant Ciaran Sloan.

A 56-year-old Nelson man has been charged with causing digital harm, possession of objectionable material and child exploitation and is due to appear in Nelson District Court on Monday 23 May.

If you have been affected by this type of behaviour, you can report it to Police on 105 so Police can investigate and hold the offender to account.

Marlborough residents can give information directly to Detective Glen Lindup at the Blenheim Police Station.

Anyone with concerns about their online security can access advice through Netsafe here: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/privacy-settings-on-social-networks/.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre