A 13-year-old was arrested by police investigating alleged sex offences on walking trails.

Sydney Morning Herald, WAtoday, The Age + 2 more · Australia

17 Oct 20265 outlets

What it means

New South Wales Police have arrested a 13-year-old boy as part of an investigation into multiple reports of sexual touching incidents against women on walking trails around Narrabeen Lagoon in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The investigation, codenamed Mexvo, was launched after several women reported alleged sexual offences while walking in the area. The boy's age means he will be dealt with under juvenile justice procedures, and the case is still active.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded

The claim is based on official NSW Police statements reported by multiple established Australian news outlets (SMH, ABC, The Age), making it reasonably solid for a secondary aggregation. No primary source document is cited directly in the highlight, but the police news release is the likely source as referenced in search results.

How new

This is genuinely new, published on 17 October 2026, with no indication of being a recirculation of older material.

Past coverage

We previously covered a similar case in August 2026, when a 13-year-old was arrested in Melbourne (Kooyong) over an alleged attempted sexual assault on walking trails. Police were investigating whether the same teenager was involved in multiple incidents across Victoria.