A 42-year-old Australian man has been charged with 931 child sex offences after he allegedly posed as Justin Bieber online to solicit explicit images from children.
Police detectives from Task Force Argos, a branch of Queensland Police responsible for investigating online child exploitation and abuse, charged the 42-year-old with offences including: using a carriage service to groom persons under 16; rape; indecent treatment of children; and making child exploitation material.
Police alleged the man used multiple social media platforms, including Facebook and Skype, to communicate with his victims. It is alleged his offences date back to "at least 2007".
Detective Inspector Jon Rouse said in a statement that the case highlighted the need for a serious rethink on how children are educated about online safety.
"The fact that so many children could believe that they were communicating with this particular celebrity highlights the need for a serious rethink... The breadth of offences committed in this instance are frankly horrendous."
Queensland Police said it would make no further comment on the case due to "operational reasons".