No show at court: search for man facing child exploitation charge
Police and State Emergency Service personnel are searching for a Cooloongup man who failed to appear in court over an alleged online child sex offence.
Content warning: this story deals with alleged child sexual exploitation.
A police welfare search is underway for a Cooloongup man who failed to appear in court over an alleged online child sex offence.
Simon David Lince, 40, was due in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday 16 October 2026 following his arrest earlier this month. The West Australian reported that an arrest warrant was issued after he failed to attend, and State Emergency Service personnel were assisting the search.
Last seen in Rockingham
According to police details published by The West, Lince was last seen on Elanora Drive in Rockingham about 2.40pm on Thursday 15 October 2026. He had not been heard from since about 3.30pm that day.
He was wearing grey and white shorts, a dark T shirt and black shoes, and carrying a backpack.
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Last seen | Elanora Drive, Rockingham, about 2.40pm on 15 October 2026 |
| Last contact | About 3.30pm on 15 October 2026 |
| Clothing | Grey and white shorts, dark T shirt, black shoes |
| Other | Carrying a backpack |
| Description | About 190cm tall, slim build, brown eyes, short dark brown hair, goatee, fair complexion |
The alleged offence
The investigation began after the AFP's Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation received a tip off in July about a messaging platform user allegedly having sexualised conversations with someone they believed was a 12 year old girl.
According to The West Australian, the person involved in the alleged exchanges during June and July was an undercover police officer posing as a child.
Investigators arrested Lince during a search of a Cooloongup home on 6 October 2026. He was granted conditional bail ahead of his scheduled appearance in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday 16 October 2026.
It is reported an arrest warrant was issued after he failed to attend court on two charges, including an alleged online child sex offence.
State Emergency Service personnel were also reportedly deployed to assist police searching near where he was last seen.
The allegations are untested and no findings have been made against him by any court. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Police appeal for sightings
Lince is described as approximately 190cm tall, with a slim build, brown eyes, short dark brown hair, a goatee and a fair complexion.
Anyone who has seen him is urged to contact police immediately on 131 444.
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