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 online. Police allege Collinge pressured the girl into sending sexually explicit material in exchange for money and found child abuse material on his devices during a search of his Beecroft home. He was charged with grooming a minor and accessing child abuse material, refused bail, and remanded in custody until April 2. Newington College, where Collinge worked as a casual music teacher since 2015, terminated his employment and confirmed no students were involved. Both sources agree the girlâs parents reported the incident to police after noticing suspicious communications on a social media app. Collinge had a valid Working with Children Check and completed mandatory child protection training, though he was not previously known to police. Authorities are urging parents to monitor their childrenâs online activity and have encouraged any potential victims to come forward.
â 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, Sydneyâs north, for allegedly grooming a 14-year-old girl and accessing child abuse material
- Collinge allegedly posed as a 17-year-old boy online to pressure the 14-year-old girl into sending sexually explicit material in exchange for a ânot significantâ amount of money
- Police found child abuse material on an electronic device during a search of Collingeâs 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 Collingeâs employment after his arrest and confirmed 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
- The girlâs parents alerted police after noticing suspicious communications, which occurred on a social media app affected by Australiaâs under-16 ban
- Collinge had a valid Working with Children Check and completed mandatory child protection training at Newington College since 2015
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Headmaster Michael Parkerâs message to the Newington community explicitly stated the college would âwork closely with police on the protection of childrenâ
- SMH included specific tuition fees for Newington College: $27,819 for kindergarten and $48,141 for Year 12 students
- SMH mentioned Collinge was a former Newington student who graduated in 2014
- SMH provided contact details for 1800 Respect, CASA, and Kids Helpline at the end of the article
- SMH noted Collinge worked at the senior Wyvern House and Lindfield campuses since 2015
- ABC included a timestamp for the police raid: âabout 5:45am todayâ
- ABC specified the exact time of Collingeâs arrest as âthis morningâ and mentioned the Child Abuse Investigation Unit detectivesâ involvement
- ABC emphasized that Collinge âpurported to be a 17-year-old boyâ in his interactions with the girl
- ABC stated Collinge was taken to Gladesville Police Station after his arrest
- ABC highlighted that Collinge had worked in âvarious casual roles with the music departmentâ since 2015
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- No contradictions found between the two sources
Source Articles
Sydney private school teacher charged with grooming 14yo girl
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