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Edmonton… An Australian man has been arrested in Edmonton after trying to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex. The arrest came after a joint investigation by ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation unit, Edmonton Police Service, and Australia’s New South Wales Police.
Jiashu Weng, a 22-year-old man from Australia, allegedly travelled to Edmonton with the intent of having sex with a 13-year-old girl he met online. The two met via social media in October 2016 and have been engaged in regular sexually explicit chats and photo sharing.
Fortuitously, the victim’s mother discovered these online chats at the same time Weng had arrived in Canada. The victim’s mother contacted Edmonton Police and Weng was immediately arrested at his Edmonton hotel room on February 10, 2017.
In order to collect further evidence, Weng’s Australia residence was searched by New South Wales Police Force (NSWPF) on February 21. A number of computers and electronic devices seized from his home in Chatswood, which is a suburb of Sydney. The seized devices will undergo forensic examination.
“The internet allows us to access the world from wherever we are, and while advantageous in so many areas of life, it also creates opportunities for online predators. The relationships we have with our law enforcement colleagues across the globe has never been more important for potential child victims.” said NSWPF Sex Crimes Detective Superintendent Linda Howlett.
Weng has been charged with luring a child under 14 years, possession of child pornography, and distributing child pornography.
Anyone with information about this investigation, or any child exploitation offence is encouraged to contact local police or cybertip.ca.
ICE is an integrated team consisting of Calgary Police, Edmonton Police, Lethbridge Police, Medicine Hat Police, and RCMP officers, and investigates offences involving child pornography, any computer-related child sexual abuse, child luring over the Internet, voyeurism involving victims under the age of 18, and child sex trade/tourism.
The work we do is about our communities, and that’s why we recognize that residents can be instrumental in tackling serious crime. If you or someone you know has been the victim of a crime, or you suspect criminal activity, please reach out. Your information will remain strictly confidential.
Thank you for helping to make Alberta safer by being actively involved and reporting suspicious activity.
