SOME of the charges against a man accused of grooming a child for sex have been dropped in court.
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Christopher James Levy now faces nine charges with prosecutors confirming the offences it intends to proceed with ahead of a case conference.
Levy has not been required to enter pleas to the allegations, but faces a maximum penalty of more than 10 years' imprisonment, if found guilty.
The 32-year-old did not appear in Armidale Local Court when his case was called, but the DPP confirmed it had certified charges of inciting to commit sexual intercourse with child under the age of 10 years; and procuring a child under 14 years for unlawful sexual activity.
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Charges of possessing child abuse material; three counts of disseminating child abuse material; and three counts of failing to comply with reporting obligations have also been certified by the prosecution.
During the court proceedings, three counts of using a carriage service to transmit or publish child abuse material were withdrawn, and magistrate Roger Prowse dismissed them.
The DPP and defence will now meet at a case conference later this month to discuss the issues in the case.
Mr Prowse ordered the case to return to court at the end of the month, after the case conference.
Levy's defence made no application for bail, and it was formally refused.
Levy has been behind bars since he was arrested during a raid in Glen Innes in late October, last year.
Detectives from the state's Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad's Child Exploitation Internet Unit allege they started engaging online with Levy in October.
Police claim Levy thought he was speaking with a 38-year-old mother, when he allegedly started engaging in discussions about sexually explicit acts he wished to perform on her child.
Detectives then allege he sent child abuse material online and made arrangements to meet up with the child in person.
Strike Force Trawler - the squad's dedicated online sex abuse and child exploitation operation - moved in on Levy at his Glen Innes home on October 28.
There, they said they seized electronic devices as part of the police probe.
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