Police officer Michael Richard Tyler can be near Perth Airport despite child abuse charges

A police officer who allegedly boasted in internet chat rooms that he wanted to “drug and rape” teenage girls has had his bail varied so he can be near Perth Airport. Michael Richard Tyler appeared in Perth Magistrates Court today where he applied to have his conditions changed to allow him to visit the airport so he could drop-off and pick-up his friend, who is a fly-in-fly-out worker. The Geraldton-based police officer has been on strict bail conditions after he was charged with seven counts of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage system. Australian Federal Police arrested the father-of-three on August 19 after searching his house in Geraldton. At a previous court hearing, Commonwealth prosecutors revealed during the search officers seized three electronic devices allegedly contained WhatsApp messages from Mr Tyler, 37, to another person — who has been arrested in relation to other matters — claiming he wanted to “drug and rape” children, specifically girls aged 15 and 16. During the hearing today, the court was told that Mr Tyler also wanted to change his reporting conditions to allow him to report to two different police stations — one in the northern suburbs and one in the South West. His lawyer Stephen Pemberton told the court that Mr Tyler was helping his father on his farm and wanted to report at a police station nearby on the days he was there. However, he withdrew the request after Mr Tyler could not specify which days he would be in the South West. The magistrate granted the request to vary his bail to allow him to be near Perth Airport — but he is not to enter the facility. Mr Tyler is expected to appear in court again in December.