A 42-year-old man accused of posing as Justin Bieber to lure children into sharing explicit images has been charged with more than 900 child sex offences.
Australian law lecturer Gordon Douglas Chalmers allegedly impersonated the singer on social media in order to groom young fans for sex.
Bieber, the 23-year-old Canadian pop star, is currently touring Australia and police have warned parents and fans to be extra vigilant when using the internet.
Chalmers, from Brisbane, was charged with using Facebook and Skype to impersonate the pop singer in November.
And, following a warrant to search his social media accounts, he was charged with a further 931 child sex offences dating back a decade.
The charges included rape, making child exploitation material, using social media to groom children for sex and to access child pornography and possessing child porn, police said.
“The fact that so many children could believe that they were communicating with this particular celebrity highlights the need for a serious rethink about the way that we as a society educate our children about online safety," detective inspector Jon Rouse said in a statement.
"The breadth of offences committed in this instance is frankly horrendous," he added.
Police have not revealed how many children were victims of Chalmers or what countries they live in.
But Rouse said the investigation showed "the global reach and skill that child sex offenders have to groom and seduce victims."
Chalmers has not yet entered a plea.
It is not clear how long he could spend in prison if convicted.
