A university lecturer who allegedly posed as Justin Bieber online in order to groom underage girls has been charged with 931 child sex offences
Gordon Douglas Chalmers, 42, who teaches law at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, is accused of pretending to be the Canadian pop star on social media sites to trick children into sending him explicit pictures.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The fake Bieber profiles initially attracted the attention of German detectives and US Homeland Security, who passed the information on to Queensland's Taskforce Argos, a specialist police unit targeting online child exploitation and abuse.
Chalmers was arrested last November and appeared in a Brisbane magistrates' court on charges of possession of child exploitation material and grooming underage children, the Courier Mail reports.
He was denied bail.
After a "thorough examination" of Chalmers's computer, detectives say they have uncovered evidence of more than 900 additional counts relating to rape, indecency and child pornography dating back to at least 2007, reports the Brisbane Times.
Detective Inspector Jon Rouse said the breadth of offences uncovered by the investigation was "frankly horrendous" and exposed the "global reach and skill" of online predators.
"The fact that so many children could believe that they were communicating with this particular celebrity highlights the need for a serious rethink about the way that we as a society educate our children about online safety," he added.
-
Political cartoons for February 10Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include halftime hate, the America First Games, and Cupid's woe
-
Why is Prince William in Saudi Arabia?Today’s Big Question Government requested royal visit to boost trade and ties with Middle East powerhouse, but critics balk at kingdom’s human rights record
-
Wuthering Heights: ‘wildly fun’ reinvention of the classic novel lacks depthTalking Point Emerald Fennell splits the critics with her sizzling spin on Emily Brontë’s gothic tale
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
