A man has been charged with child sex offences following investigations by specialist police unit Argos.
The 69-year-old Noosa Hinterland man was arrested on Wednesday afternoon, when he attended a Bribie Island fast food business, where police allege he expected to meet a 13-year-old girl. He was instead met by detectives.
The investigation began in September 2026, when the man allegedly made contact with a social media profile of an undercover Argos officer to arrange to meet a girl.
It will be alleged the man engaged in behaviour that constitutes the grooming of a child and distributing child abuse material.
The 69-year-old man was charged with using the internet to procure a child under 16 years of age with a circumstance of aggravation that the offender went to a place with the intention of meeting the child, using a carriage service to distribute child abuse material, grooming parent or caregiver of child under 16 years and possessing child exploitation material.
The man was due to appear at the Caboolture Magistrates Court on Thursday, November 12.
Detective Inspector Sue Newton of Argos said this case highlights the risk posed to children by online predators and urged parents and caregivers to take active and ongoing measures around online safety.
“Supervision is the key to prevention, as is ongoing communication with children about how to stay safe online and the dangers of having online ‘friends’ they have never met face-to-face,” she said.
“Our number one priority is ensuring the safety of children. Every day Argos has undercover officers working in a range of online platforms to detect and apprehend people who seek to exploit children.
“Argos investigators are committed to targeting those offenders involved in the sexual exploitation of children and the possession or distribution of child exploitation material and will use all available resources to detect and apprehend those who seek to exploit children in our community.”
