Aaron Summers, the Australian fast bowler, has appeared in Darwin Local Court after being charged with child sexual offence. The cricketer, applied for bail in the Darwin Local Court on Monday after being charged with two counts of possessing child abuse material and one of using a carriage service to groom an underage person. Police alleged Summers’ phone had child sex abuse images and there was evidence the man had been trying to get ‘illicit photographs’ from up to ten children. On his mobile phone in the favourites folder there are a number of child abuse videos, some of which were recorded on the Snapchat application live with the victims and then they were saved and stored in the gallery of his phone. According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, Summers appeared in front of the Darwin Local Court with the police alleging that the 25-year-old’s mobile phone contains child abuse videos. “A matter was brought to the attention of NT Cricket and was immediately actioned in accordance with our member protection policy. In line with the policy the matter was referred to the relevant authorities and is now being handled by police,” SMH quoted a Cricket Australia statement as saying.
The Northern Territories Police Service have released a statement. Detectives from the Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (JACET) arrested a 25-year-old man in Fannie Bay on Friday afternoon for child abuse material. Police executed a section 3E Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) search warrant on the man and seized a mobile phone. “Police will allege that the man’s mobile device contained a number of videos containing child abuse material. There was also evidence that the man had been in contact with up to 10 children to attempt to procure further illicit photographs,” it added. Detective acting senior sergeant Paul Lawson also released a statement describing Summers’ behavior as “despicable”. “Young people should be able to enjoy their childhood without the fear of predators approaching them for their own appalling intentions. The Northern Territory Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team will continue to work with national and international partners to keep the most vulnerable in our community safe,” the statement read. Summers, a right-arm pacer, has represented Hobart Hurricanes in Big Bash League and played three one-day for Tasmania as well. He grabbed the limelight becoming the first ever Australian cricketer to play in Pakistan’s domestic cricket turning out for Southern Punjab in Pakistan Cup.
