South West child-sex accused pleads not guilty to Commonwealth charges

A South West man has declared his intentions to fight allegations of sexually offending against a child outside of Australia, a month after pleading not guilty to charges of sexually offending against children in WA. The man, whose identity has been suppressed, appeared in Bunbury Magistrate’s Court via videolink from Hakea Prison on Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty to a total of 20 Commonwealth charges relating to alleged sexual offending against a child outside of Australia, transmitting indecent communication to a person under 16 years of age, and possessing or controlling child exploitation material obtained or accessed using a carriage system. The offending is alleged to have taken place in a South West town and a city in New Zealand between 2020 and 2021. While the Commonwealth charges were committed to the District Court for a trial listing hearing in November, the man is awaiting a further trial date relating to allegations of sexually offending against six different children in two different areas of the South West region. The man’s State charges include 10 counts of indecently dealing with a child under 13 years, two counts of exposing a child under 13 years to indecent matter and sexually penetrating a child under 13 years. The man was remanded in custody and excused from attending the District Court trial listing hearing.