Man accused of child sexual offences met 11-year-old alleged victim on dating app, ACT Supreme Court hears
WARNING: This story contains details of child sexual abuse.
A man accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl he met on a dating app warned her to be careful about "creeps and stalkers" on the app, the ACT Supreme Court has heard.
Prosecutors allege Shegu Bobb, who is standing trial for nine sexual offences against the girl, told her, "I'm not like that, trust me".
The 27-year-old is accused of using the dating app Badoo to send sexual messages and pictures to the girl, who he matched with in February 2020 when he was 21.
One of his first messages to her was, "How old are you?" according to texts read to the jury.
The court heard the girl's profile listed her age as 19, and after a phone conversation with Mr Bobb — who went by the name Charles online — he continued to message her.
Another message mentioned the "huge age gap" between them and his request for her to "tell no one".
Mr Bobb has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include three counts of using a carriage service to procure child abuse material, two counts of indecency against a person under 16, two counts of using a carriage service to procure a child under 16, intercourse with a child under 16 and using a carriage service to transmit indecent communications.
The court heard the pair exchanged sexual messages and photographs over several days, which are too graphic to publish, before planning to meet up in person.
Many of the messages involved him promising to teach the girl how to have sex.
It is alleged Mr Bobb picked the girl up in his car down the road of her family home because they were concerned about being seen by other people.
"This will be our secret, tell no one," Mr Bobb said to the girl in a message read to the court.
"It makes me look like I'm trying to kidnap you," he said in another.
Prosecutors allege he drove the girl to a secluded bushland area in Stromlo, where they got into the back seat and he touched her thigh and genital area.
It is alleged that while in the car, the girl communicated with Mr Bobb via the dating app's messenger service and repeatedly told him she was "scared" before later telling him that she "wasn't ready".
"Please let me go home, if you don't I'll get you into trouble," the girl allegedly said.
The court heard that the girl told her school friend and police about the incident the next day, but she lied and said that the man was a stranger in a car in her street and that he had threatened to kill or hurt her if she didn't come for a drive.
The jury was shown a video of the girl's initial interview with police, and heard that her mother later found the dating app and its messages on her daughter's phone.
Prosecutors argue that messages of apology by Mr Bobb to the girl after the incident amount to his consciousness of guilt.
They also argue he made partial admissions to the alleged offending to a neighbour by saying he believed the girl was over 18 years old because the app only allowed for users 18 and older.
The trial is expected to continue into next week.
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