Ronald John Bell was granted conditional bail in an out-of-sessions hearing in Armidale Local Court on Saturday before his conditions were varied in another mention in court yesterday morning.

The 47-year-old is charged with using a carriage service to groom persons under 16 for sexual activity, after police assumed the identity of a 13-year-old girl online.

Detectives from the Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) allegedly began communicating online with Bell in December, and allege during conversations the man repeatedly made sexually explicit comments about the girl and requested to meet up with her for the purpose of sexual activity.

Bell was arrested at a Youman St home in Guyra on Friday, before his release on Saturday.

Magistrate Michael Holmes yesterday varied his bail to live in Tamworth, where he has been ordered to report to police three times a week.

A part of his strict conditions, Bell is prohibited from accessing the internet or social media, must not communicate, approach or be in the company of children under 16 unless they are family, is not to loiter near known areas where children could frequent or hang out, and must not seek paid or voluntary employment where he might come into contact with children.

In a separate investigation by the State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad, a 43-year-old Glen Innes man was arrested during a raid on a Short St home on Thursday.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of possessing child abuse material and carnal knowledge.

Police will allege computers and electronic storage devices seized from the home during the search warrant contained images of child abuse.

The arrest was triggered after CEIU investigators were alerted to the online activities of a man in December, last year.

The man was refused bail in Glen Innes Local Court and remains in custody.

On Monday, New England Detective Inspector Ann Joy said the arrests were a reminder about stranger danger online.

“It’s about parents making sure they have access to their child’s social media accounts and having a conversation with their child about the internet and its dangers,” she said.

“So, ensure they are keeping an open dialogue with children about their online activities and the stranger danger element.

“It’s not just one measure that will be preventative, it’s a number of things, and that includes monitoring their usage and being aware who they are communicating with and any changes they might notice in their behaviour.”