Police say a 19-year-old man from northern Alberta was arrested and charged after a B.C. girl was allegedly lured through Roblox and then coerced into sharing explicit images on Snapchat.
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The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) and the Mounties in Kelowna said they began investigating after the parents of a girl in British Columbia found sexualized messages on their child’s Snapchat.
Police said the accused, a 19-year-old from northern Alberta, allegedly made contact with the underage girl on the online gaming platform Roblox before they began exchanging messages on Snapchat.
On Snapchat, police said the messages became sexualized and the victim was coerced into sharing explicit photos and videos.
Acting Sgt. Matt Pepper with ALERT said, “Diverting the conversation to other platforms is a common tactic for offenders to evade detection and in some case bypass existing safety protocols.”
Police said the suspect was arrested on Oct. 29 and released from custody.
Kenneth Livesey of Beaverlodge, Alta., was charged with child luring, making sexually explicit materials available to a child, making child sexual abuse and exploitation material, and possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
Livesey is scheduled to appear in court in Grande Prairie on Nov. 18.
Police said anyone with information about the investigation, or any child exploitation offence, is encouraged to contact local police or cybertip.ca.
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