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 and charged with grooming a 14-year-old girl and accessing child abuse material after allegedly posing as a 17-year-old boy online. Collinge, a casual music teacher at prestigious Newington College, was taken into custody on March 28, 2024, following a report from the girlās parents. Police allege he targeted the minor on a social media app restricted to users under 16, pressuring her to send explicit images in exchange for money. During a search of his Beecroft home, officers found child abuse material on his devices. Collinge, who had a valid Working with Children Check and completed mandatory training, was sacked by Newington College, which confirmed no students were involved. He was denied bail and remanded in custody until his next court appearance in April. Both sources agree on the core details, including the charges, Collingeās background, and the schoolās response, though SMH highlighted the financial aspect of Newingtonās tuition fees and ABC provided additional timing specifics about the raid.
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 sexually explicit material
- Detective Acting Superintendent Karl Leis stated police will investigate if 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
- Headmaster Michael Parker noted Collinge worked in casual roles at the music department since 2015 at Wyvern House and Lindfield campuses
- ABC emphasized Collingeās alleged use of a social media app affected by the under-16 ban
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- No contradictions found between the two sources
Source Articles
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....
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....