Halifax Regional Police have charged an Alberta man with luring a child under the age of 16 by computer for a sexual purpose.
Police say Richard Austin MacLean, 47, whose hometown has not been specified, was arrested without incident Sunday in a parking lot off of Agricola Street in Halifax at 2:20 p.m. The arrest came after police alleged the man had Internet conversations with an undercover officer that he was to meet in the parking lot that afternoon.
“At the time of the arrest, we would allege the accused believed he was meeting a person under the age of 16 for a sexual purpose,” said police spokesman Const. Brian Palmeter. “That meeting had been arranged through the Internet. However, the person he was speaking with who he believed was under the age of 16 was actually an undercover police officer.”
Palmeter said the man has no fixed address in Nova Scotia, but they allege the offence was committed while in the province.
Because of this alleged incident, police are reminding parents about the importance of monitoring their children’s online computer activities.
