A Bowmanville, Ont., man has been arrested by police and accused of planning to meet a woman and her children in the United States to “engage in sexual acts with her and her children.”
Durham Regional Police said they became aware of a conversation on an app called MeetMe around 10 a.m. on Dec. 27, after receiving a tip from the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre.
Police said a man who lives in Bowmanville had registered on the app using the name “That Guy.” He was allegedly speaking to a woman in Pennsylvania who had two children, aged two and six years old.
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“The suspect and the female spoke about meeting this weekend and engaging in sexual acts with the female’s children,” police said.
Durham police alleged that sexual photographs of the woman’s daughter were sent to the suspect. Officers said “immediate” steps were taken to locate the man before any potential meeting could take place.
At around 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 28, the 42-year-old man was arrested and taken into custody.
He was charged with agreeing to commit sexual assault against a child under 16, making child pornography, accessing child pornography and possessing child pornography.
Local, federal and United States police are coordinating to decide what action may be taken against the mother, Durham police said.