WA Police administrative officer jailed after sending sexually explicit messages to children

A police administrative officer was sentenced to prison after he was caught sending explicit messages to young children, including promising a nine-year-old girl that he would have sex on her tenth birthday.

Daniel Schultz, 39, of Kalamunda, east of Perth, was a member of the police force for 17 years before his arrest in June 2023.

He will now spend the next five and a half years behind bars after being convicted of several child exploitation offenses.

Schultz’s behaviour finally became his undoing when, between April and June last year, he began sending sexually explicit messages over Skype to an undercover police officer posing as a 12-year-old girl, The West Australian newspaper reported.

Schultz asked the girl if she was a virgin and told her he knew “some kids her age who have sex and enjoy it,” the Washington District Court heard.

He also wrote to her asking if they were boyfriend and girlfriend and told her to keep their relationship a secret from her mother.

Click here to resize this module

He sent her a photo of himself, asked for one in return, and told her he wanted to be her first kiss.

Police found that Schultz also used the Snapchat and Hangout apps to talk to nine other people he believed were children under the age of 13.

In May 2019, he sent sexually explicit messages to a 12-year-old German girl and later in July 2021, he exchanged messages with a 10-year-old boy who police believe Schultz had stored pictures of on his phone.

The 39-year-old also wanted to plan a vacation with a nine-year-old girl to whom he had promised sex on her tenth birthday.

During his arrest, police seized several items from Schultz’s desk and home and discovered 1,494 images and 999 videos of child exploitation.

The court was told that during his police interview, Schultz admitted to using online chat rooms to talk to children for several years.

He claimed he never planned to meet any of the children in person, but admitted to messaging one boy for four years.

Schultz admitted that in 2017 he paid someone $250 to attend a meeting with people who had access to children “who had no problem with that kind of thing.”

He claimed that no one showed up for the meeting.

Schultz’s lawyer stated in court that he regretted his actions, was ashamed of them and was willing to seek counseling.

Judge Gary Massey said Schultz’s behaviour had “fulfilled a fantasy” but did not accept that it was limited to that.

The judge added that Schultz had a clear sexual interest in children, but said he could not imagine meeting them.