A 19-year-old northern Alberta man has been arrested and accused of luring and sexual exploitating a girl in B.C. via a popular online game.
The investigation involved internet child exploitation units in both B.C. and Alberta.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) and Mounties in Kelowna said they began looking into the situation after the parents of a girl found sexualized messages on their child’s Snapchat.
Police said the accused met the victim on the online gaming platform Roblox — a social gaming platform and creation system where millions of users play, create and socialize in virtual worlds called “experiences.”
Police for years have warned of offenders posing as peers on Roblox to develop a bond and trust with the kids and teens using it.
The two then began communicating on Snapchat, which is designed for messages and media to disappear after a set time period. On that platform, the messages became sexualized and the victim was coerced into sharing explicit photos and videos, police said.
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“Diverting the conversation to other platforms is a common tactic by offenders to evade detection and in some case bypass existing safety protocols,” said Acting Sgt. Matt Pepper with ALERT.
The suspect was arrested on Oct. 29.
Kenneth Livesey of Beaverlodge, Alta., was charged with child luring, making sexually explicit materials available to a child, making child sexual abuse and exploitation material, and possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
Livesey was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court in Grande Prairie on Nov. 18.
Anyone with information about this investigation, or any child exploitation offence, is encouraged to contact local police or cybertip.ca.
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