Sydney private school teacher charged with grooming a 14-year-old girl and accessing child abuse material
Consensus Summary
A Sydney private school teacher named Benjamin David Collinge, aged 29, was arrested on March 28, 2024, after allegedly grooming a 14-year-old girl by posing as a 17-year-old boy on social media. Police allege Collinge, a casual music teacher at prestigious Newington College, pressured the girl into sending sexually explicit material in exchange for money. During a search of his Beecroft home, officers found child abuse material on his devices. Collinge was charged with grooming a minor and accessing child abuse material, refused bail, and remanded in custody until April 2. Newington College terminated his employment and confirmed no students were involved. Both sources agree Collinge had a valid Working with Children Check and completed mandatory training, with no prior complaints. The girlās parents reported the incident after noticing suspicious online activity. Authorities are urging parents to monitor childrenās online behavior to prevent such offenses.
ā Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Benjamin David Collinge, a 29-year-old casual music teacher at Newington College, was arrested on March 28, 2024, in Beecroft, Sydneyās north, for allegedly grooming a 14-year-old girl and accessing child abuse material
- Collinge allegedly posed as a 17-year-old boy on a social media app to contact the vulnerable 14-year-old girl, who was using an app affected by Australiaās under-16 social media ban
- Collinge offered the girl a ānot significantā amount of money in exchange for sexually explicit material, with multiple messages exchanged between them
- Police found child abuse material on an electronic device during a search of Collingeās Beecroft home
- Collinge was charged with using a carriage service to groom someone under 16 and using a carriage service to access child abuse material
- Newington College terminated Collingeās employment after his arrest, with headmaster Michael Parker confirming no Newington students were involved in the alleged grooming
- Collinge was remanded in custody until April 2, 2024, and refused bail at Burwood Local Court
- Collinge had a valid Working with Children Check and completed mandatory child protection training at Newington College since 2015
- The girlās parents alerted police after discovering the communications with Collinge
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Detective Acting Superintendent Karl Leis stated Collinge āactively took steps online to reach out to this vulnerable 14-year-old girlā and that the girlās parents contacted police after noticing her use of a banned social media app
- Leis emphasized the need for parents to monitor childrenās online activity, calling the offenses ācommitted in the privacy of someoneās own homeā
- The article mentions Newington Collegeās tuition fees range from $27,819 (kindergarten) to $48,141 (year 12) and notes the school is transitioning to co-ed by 2033
- SMH includes contact details for national sexual assault counseling services (1800 Respect, CASA, Kids Helpline) at the end of the article
- ABC specifies police descended on Collingeās home at approximately 5:45 AM on the day of his arrest
- The article notes Collinge worked in casual roles with the music department at Wyvern House and Lindfield campuses since 2015, with no prior complaints about his behavior
- ABC includes a direct quote from Superintendent Leis stating Collinge āpurported to be a 17-year-old boyā in his interactions with the girl
- The ABC article mentions the girlās parents made a report to police on Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- No contradictions found between the two sources
Source Articles
Sydney private school teacher charged with grooming 14yo girl
A casual teacher at Newington College has been charged with allegedly encouraging a 14-year-old girl to send sexually explicit images for money....
Private school teacher allegedly āpressuredā vulnerable girl, 14, for abuse material
Police allege the former Newington College secondary teacher posed as a 17-year-old to offer the teenager cash in exchange for sexually explicit material....