Curtin University professor in Perth accused of grooming an 11-year-old child
Prominent college professor, 62, is accused of taking care of an 11-year-old and sharing vile child abuse material online: ‘We are boyfriend and girlfriend’
- Illustrious Perth academic is accused of taking care of an 11-year-old girl
- Professor Philip Newsholme allegedly purchased explicit videos
- The police are said to have found images and videos of child abuse at his home
A prominent college professor allegedly groomed an 11-year-old girl for a month and used social media to have children who would send him explicit videos.
Professor Philip Newsholme, 62, an academic in biomedical sciences at Curtin University in Perth, is said to have told the young girl they were ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’.,’ de Western Australian reported.
He was arrested and charged after detectives from a WA child exploitation operations unit were tipped off via CrimeStoppers on Thursday.
Police claimed he spoke to several children via SnapChat and Telegram after a raid on his home.
Agents are said to have found various digital devices, including laptops and desktop computers, in his home in Como, where he lives alone.
Professor Philip Newsholme (pictured), 62, who studies biomedical sciences at Curtin University in Perth, is said to have told an 11-year-old girl they were ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’
Detectives from the Child Exploitation Operations Squad have identified three children allegedly involved and believed to live in the UK, US and Australia, police say
Category one and two child abuse images and videos were also allegedly found on storage devices.
He has been charged with 12 child exploitation offenses but a bail application at Perth Magistrates Court on Friday showed he could face a further 50 charges.
Newsholme allegedly used encrypted messaging services and social media apps to try to get young girls to send him explicit videos.
Investigators from the Child Exploitation Operations Squad have identified three children allegedly involved and believed to live in the UK, US and Australia, police said.
The academic is also accused of exchanging child abuse material with other staff – revealing to one person that he “really likes little girls between the ages of five and 12.”
The police prosecutor told the court that Newsholme had sent a nude photo of himself to a girl he believed to be under 16 years old – which was linked to the tip received.
He had also been chatting with an 11-year-old girl for a month, where he told her they were “boyfriend and girlfriend” and that he loved her, the court heard.
His office on the Curtin University campus was also raided Friday afternoon, allowing police to seize his computer and other devices.
A lawyer on duty who applied for bail for Newsholme told the court there would be a significant delay before the case would go to trial – adding that the professor had no criminal record and would abide by all conditions.
But magistrate Andrew Maughan refused to release him on bail because of the devices found in his home and because Newsholme had made only a partial confession to the police.
His office on the Curtin University campus (pictured) was also raided Friday afternoon, allowing police to seize his computer and other devices
The professor faces eight counts of possession of child exploitative material and three counts of distributing child exploitative material.
He was also charged with using electronic communications to expose a child believed to be under the age of 16 to indecent acts.
Detectives said officers will review the seized devices and liaise with national and international law enforcement partners to identify and rescue any further child victims.
Newsholme, who holds a PhD from the University of Oxford, has also worked in the US, UK and Ireland.
A media spokeswoman for Curtin University declined to comment “because the case is before the courts.”