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, 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 he pressured the girl into sending explicit images in exchange for money and found child abuse material during a search of his Beecroft home. Collinge, a casual music teacher at Newington College, was charged with grooming a minor and accessing child abuse material, refused bail, and remanded in custody until April. The school confirmed no students were involved and terminated his employment, noting he had passed child protection checks. Authorities are investigating whether other children may have been targeted. The case highlights concerns about online grooming and the need for parental awareness of childrenās digital activity.
ā Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Benjamin David Collinge, 29, is a casual music teacher at Newington College in Sydney, allegedly groomed a 14-year-old girl via social media
- Collinge was arrested at his Beecroft home on March 28, 2024, and charged with using a carriage service to groom a minor and access child abuse material
- Police allege Collinge posed as a 17-year-old boy to contact the girl, who was using a social media app affected by Australiaās under-16 ban
- Collinge was remanded in custody until April 2, 2024, and refused bail at Burwood Local Court
- Newington College terminated Collingeās employment after his arrest, with headmaster Michael Parker confirming no Newington students were involved
- Police found child abuse material on an electronic device during a search of Collingeās Beecroft home
- Collinge had a valid Working with Children Check and completed mandatory child protection training at Newington College
- The girlās parents alerted police after discovering the communications, leading to Collingeās arrest
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Collinge allegedly offered the girl a ānot significantā amount of money in exchange for explicit material
- Detective Acting Superintendent Karl Leis stated police will investigate whether other children were targeted by Collinge
- Newington Collegeās annual tuition ranges from $27,819 (kindergarten) to $48,141 (year 12)
- Collinge is a former Newington College student who graduated in 2014
- SMH included contact details for 1800 Respect, CASA, and Kids Helpline in its article
- Police allege Collingeās interactions with the girl began on Wednesday, March 27, 2024
- ABC included a timestamp of the police raid at Collingeās home: approximately 5:45 AM on March 28, 2024
- Collinge worked in casual roles at Newingtonās Wyvern House and Lindfield campuses since 2015
- ABC emphasized that the girl was ānot knownā to Collinge prior to their online contact
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- SMH states Collinge was arrested at an address in Beecroft, while ABC does not specify the exact suburb beyond āSydneyās northā
- SMH mentions Collinge did not apply for bail when his matter was ābriefly mentionedā at court, while ABC states he was ārefused bailā outright
- SMH includes Collingeās lawyerās name (Bryan Wrench) and mentions he did not respond to questions, which ABC does not reference
Source Articles
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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....