Burlesque model Bethany Edgecombe, aka Blondie Australia, allegedly sent explicit messages to a 13-year-old boy.
Burlesque model Bethany Edgecombe, aka Blondie Australia, allegedly sent explicit messages to a 13-year-old boy.
A burlesque model has been accused of grooming a 13-year-old boy online, sending him explicit messages, naked photos and joking that she was a "pedo".
Bethany Edgecombe, an exotic dancer from the NSW Central Coast who goes by the name Blondie Australia on Instagram, started sending sexual messages to the boy last year after he mentioned her in one of his stories, A Current Affair reports.
The 20-year-old, who had more than 105,000 followers on the platform but has since deactivated her account, first asked if he was a "virgin", news.com.au reported.
When he replied that he was, she said, "I call dibs on that virginity."
In another message she wrote, "Hold onto that virginity, I'll be going past your part of town in a week or two. And don't tell anyone, don't think you're even legal."
When the boy told her he was 13, she wrote, "I really must be a pedo cos that's so hot," with a laughing face emoji.
In another message she said, "Well … I'm officially a pedo. I did not know you were that young. I should not be perving on you as much as I do. Not gonna stop though."
At one point she sent the boy a series of naked photos while he was at the movies with his mum and attempted to coerce him into sending her a photo of his penis.
"Sneak off to the bathroom bad boy. Sneak off and don't tell your mummy."
The boy's parents labelled her a 'predator. Photo / A Current Affair
The 20-year-old claims she never intended to meet the boy. Photo / A Current Affair
Confronted on a Melbourne street by A Current Affair reporter Dan Nolan, a visibly shaken Ms Edgecombe angrily denied sending naked photos to anyone.
When shown the messages, she said, "I'm like 18 when I did this, this was two years ago," before insisting she had no intention of ever meeting the boy in person.
She then flashed her breasts. "That is my comment, thank you very much," she said. "I don't care! I don't care about any of this."
The boy's parents reported the matter to Coomera Police on the Gold Coast in November but took it to the media because they were disappointed the investigation didn't seem to have progressed.
She is said to have sent him several revealing photos. Photo / A Current Affair
Her response to being confronted on the street. Photo / A Current Affair
The boy said in a statement to the program that at first he thought it was "cool" but after awhile she "started to act a bit crazy" and "it wasn't fun anymore, she was acting weird and I'm not that dumb".
His mother said, "She knew that he was only 13 years old and she pursued him! What kind of a sick individual does that? How dare she try and manipulate and child with her evil perverted ways for her own self-gratification!"
In a statement to news.com.au, Queensland Police said, "These matters can take time to thoroughly investigate, particularly when a forensic examination is required. The matter is still under investigation and detectives are making every effort to finalise this as a priority."
