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Canberra Today 8°/10° | Thursday, April 18, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Fake facebook profile leads to sexual assault and blackmail charges

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A 22-year-old Belconnen man has been arrested after creating a fictitious social media profile of a young woman to commit a sexual assault against another man.

The alleged offender used a fictitious Facebook profile to communicate with the 18-year-old victim over a period of time. As part of this communication, the man sent the victim photographs and a series of demands while pretending to be the young woman.

Detective Superintendent Paul Shakeshaft of Criminal Investigations said the people need to be careful when engaging in social media.

“Fictitious profiles are becoming more prevalent and are used to deceive people in a number of different ways. This deception may lead to fraud and identity theft,” Superintendent Shakeshaft said.

The 22-year-old man has been charged with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent; and one charge of blackmail, using a carriage service for child pornography material and using a carriage service to menace/harass/offend.

The man will face the ACT Magistrates Court this morning (September 9).

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Ian Meikle, editor

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