Australian cricketer Aaron Summers charged with child sexual offences

Aaron Summers, the Australian fast bowler, has appeared in Darwin Local Court after being charged with child sexual offences.

ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Summers, who has most recently represented the Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10 league, was arrested in Fannie Bay on Friday afternoon. Police executed a search warrant and seized a mobile phone. The phone allegedly contained what the Northern Territories Police Service described as "a number of videos containing child abuse material" and evidence of contact with up to ten children in an "attempt to procure further illicit photographs".

Summers was subsequently charged with two counts of possessing child abuse material and one count of grooming a child. He has been remanded in custody.

"The behaviour is despicable," detective acting senior sergeant Paul Lawson said. "Young people should be able to enjoy their childhood without the fear of predators approaching them for their own appalling intentions. The Northern Territory Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team will continue to work with national and international partners to keep the most vulnerable in our community safe."

While Summers has enjoyed a brief career in the Big Bash League (for the Hobart Hurricanes) and the One-day Cup (for Tasmania), he is perhaps best known for becoming the first Australian cricketer to play in a domestic cricket competition in Pakistan when he signed for Southern Punjab.