MELBOURNE: An Australian teacher has been arrested in the Philippines for allegedly using a 14-year-old to recruit other boys for sex, the Australian Associated Press reports.
The 45-year-old man, who has worked at schools in Australia, China and New Zealand, was arrested on Friday evening at a beach resort in Compostela town, north Cebu, as part of a police operation.
It’s alleged the man used a 14-year-old boy to recruit four others, aged 10 to 13, who were then delivered to the man’s hotel by his driver.
The boys, who were paid between A$12 and A$25 for each visit, were photographed and sexually abused, police said.
It’s understood the man, who claims to have played field hockey “to an international level”, had been travelling with his wife until she moved on to another holiday location in the Philippines.
He has denied the allegations.
However, the deputy chief of the regional anti-human trafficking task force, Sheryl Bautista, said the boys recovered on Friday were a “new batch” from Mandaue city.
He also said there were other victims. — Bernama