Louisville man sentenced in child porn case involving young girls in Australia and Greece
UPDATE: A federal judge sentenced Dickson on Nov. 29, 2021, to 32 years in prison.
A Louisville man was arrested Thursday after he allegedly pretended to be an 11-year-old on Instagram to seek sex with minors in Australia.
Shaun Douglas Dickson, 23, used the persona of an 11-year-old girl to communicate via Instagram with several female minors in Australia, according to Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear's office.
Cyber investigators found Dickson directed one of the girls, an 8-year-old, to send nude images of herself and threatened her when she would not send him more images, according to Beshear's office.
Dickson allegedly sent the nude images to other individuals.
More headlines: Pedestrian hit and killed in Lake Dreamland neighborhood
After obtaining a warrant to search Dickson's home, investigators seized several devices, some of them containing the images of the 8-year-old girl, Beshear's office said.
Dickson was charged Friday by Beshear's office with four felony counts:
Possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor
Distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor
Prohibited use of an electronic communications device to procure a minor for a sex offense
Use of a minor under 16 years old in a sexual performance
At the time of this week's arrest, Dickson was on house arrest and awaiting a May trial on similar charges.
He had been ordered to not possess the devices found this week as part of the home incarceration program, according to Beshear's office.
Beshear's office previously arrested Dickson in November 2017 following a three-month investigation that began with a tip from police in Athens, Greece, regarding sexually explicit conversations and images between a minor and the Louisville resident.
Read this: A drug caused mass overdoses. How DEA chemists solved the mystery
The investigation revealed Dickson had allegedly been communicating with the minor via Skype and sending sexually explicit images.
Beshear said his case against Dickson is ongoing and could turn up more victims.
Louisville Metro Police, Metro Corrections HIP Unit, Homeland Security agents and police in Queensland, Australia, assisted Beshear's office with the latest case.
"The internet is becoming an increasingly dangerous place for our children," Beshear said. "Computers, cellphones, tablets and game apps can be the conduit for sexual predators to communicate with and quite possibly harm our children."
Dickson is being held in Louisville Metro Corrections.
During an arraignment hearing Friday, a judge set his bond at $250,000 and ordered him to not use computers, internet devices, social media or have any contact with minor children.
Dickson's next court appearance is scheduled for March 11.
Louisville weather: Snow, wintry mix in this weekend's Louisville forecast
Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com or 502-582-7030.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville man allegedly sought sex with minors in Australia
