Man arrested after covert operation

Police posing online as an underage girl arrested a 23-year-old Gnowangerup man on suspicion of sexually exploiting a child last Thursday.

Online child exploitation squad detectives charged the man after a covert 10-month operation.

Leo Nayda appeared in Albany Magistrate’s Court on Friday facing one count of attempting to expose a person under 16 to indecent material and four counts of attempting to expose a person believed to be under 13 to indecent material.

Mr Nayda was not required to enter a plea and was granted bail, but remained in custody after being unable to raise surety.

Gnowangerup officer-in-charge Sgt Dave Murphy would not disclose exactly how police identified the accused, except to reveal detectives had posed as a young girl on the internet for months before Mr Nayda’s arrest.

The investigation began last November when Gnowangerup police seized a computer belonging to the accused after being tipped off he was involved in an online relationship with a young girl. Police then tracked Mr Nayda’s internet movements on popular social networking website Facebook as well as monitoring his mobile phone activity.

“He believed the girl he was communicating with online was under the age of 12,” Sgt Murphy said.

“It goes to show Facebook is dangerous. It’s so easy to be a victim and so hard to get away from.”

Sgt Murphy, who has addressed school children about the dangers of social networking, said the alleged incident was the most serious of its nature since he moved to the town in March 2010.

He conceded similar problems had arisen from internet use in the area.

“I am aware there are young girls 14 and 15 years old who are too scared to go out their front door because of what has been said about them on Facebook,” he said.

“There have been other cases where what has been said has resulted in violent disputes.”

Mr Nayda was ordered to reappear in Gnowangerup Magistrate’s Court on September 27.

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