Tonight on Close Up ` they use the internet to seduce teens. Did you want to have sex with him? No, but I felt like I had to. So how are police finally able to catch them in the act? How can we stop the Maui from going the way of the moa? And we check out the perfect weekend hobby for wannabe gunslingers. Due to the live nature of Close Up, captions for some items may be incomplete. ONE News captions by Hannah Reynolds and Hugo Snell. Close Up captions by Richard Edmunds and Diana Beeby. In only a matter of days, a law change comes into force that should help protect your children. It will enable police to go online posing as someone under 16 to try and catch sexual predators in the act. It's a welcome addition to the police arsenal, but too late for one young girl and her mother, both of whom are still counting the cost of an online encounter that went way too far. Gill Higgins with their story. OMINOUS MUSIC Did you want to have sex with him? No. But I felt like I had to, because otherwise he would... disappear. She was hooked by a man old enough to be her dad. He's lower than low. He's one sick, sick person. His real name was Clement Wilkinson, and he lied about his age. Clement Wilkinson said he was a 17-year-old student here at Christ's College who was into surfing. He wasn't. He was 34, mostly unemployed, and spent his time on the internet, grooming young girls. One of them was a 14-year-old girl we'll call Sally. She was a happy, bubbly kid; quite outgoing; sporty; enjoyed school. That was about to change, starting here. I joined a website called tagged.com, cos all my friends were on it. And then I had friend requests from other people, and I accepted them. Why would accept people as friends if you've never met them? It's cos it can be quite difficult to meet people if you go to, like, a single-sex school. I wanted new friends. One called himself Chris Hood ` in her mind, a good-looking teenager at a prestigious Christchurch school. He was patient ` weeks of online chat and texting ` and her reason for falling for him? He'd call you, like, I don't know, affectionate names, like 'hon'. Then... He asked to meet. At first, this is where they'd meet. They'd sit in the car, drink alcohol and talk. She could see he wasn't 17, but she brushed it off. In my mind, he was this perfect person. I did not want to doubt him. I wanted my perfect little fairy tale to carry on. But the innocent daytime rendezvous were simply a stepping stone. He wanted sex, or it was over. I would call it emotional blackmail. I didn't want to be left alone, in a sense. She took to sneaking out. No one knew she'd be gone for hours a night. It could have been a whole different story. We may not even have her now. And... that was something that never entered her head. I didn't like who I'd become, but I didn't know how to get out of it. The deceit and exhaustion took its toll. Didn't seem interested in sport any more; very moody. People could say, 'Hey, she's becoming a teenager.' And people did say that. But something was just niggling. It just wasn't right. She started getting into a bit of trouble at school. So you really thought there was a problem? I really really did. When we noticed that she was... (SIGHS) self-harming, we were starting to get really concerned. She got very aggressive. In fact, one time, we'd had a bit of an altercation and we actually ended up having to call the police. She was just like a wound-up rubber band ` screaming, yelling, throwing things... I didn't want anything to do with my mum. I, kind of, stopped having anything to do with friends. No one understood what was happening to this high-achieving student. She'd got into a lot of trouble at school, and she was stood down. We had her assessed, to see, you know, if there was something that they could help us with. Basically, the guts of it was they were telling us that we were being overwrought and that she would eventually grow out of it. Clement Wilkinson was sexually involved with at least four other girls as young as 12 years old. And he was grooming others, as Sally found out. I was playing on his iPod, and it came up that he was emailing all these girls. And... And they were sending pictures of themselves, and I recognised one of the girls. And when he dropped me home that night, I told him I didn't want to see him again. It was like, 'Thank God it's over.' It was over for Clement Wilkinson too after the police received a complaint from another schoolgirl. They contacted Sally's mum. At that stage, my whole world collapsed, because... it all suddenly made sense. It's two years on, but the hurt is still there. I struggle to, like, get along with people. Would you say that your life would have been different if this hadn't happened? Yeah. I think I'd still be at school. I think I'd have more friends. I'd be more trusting of people. (SOBS) Sorry. It's devastating to me as a parent, but also to herself, because I think she knew the potential that she had. What did it make you think of your role as a parent? That I'd failed, big time. And, you do, you feel really guilty ` you know, especially when you hear her saying she wanted to feel special. They both worry about how it's getting easier for young kids to make so-called new friends. As time goes on, parents are giving their children more and more freedom on their phones and their computers, and these sickos are out there preying on that. I know how hard it is to move on. I know how hard it is when you're in the situation. And I don't want it to happen to anyone else. It's really difficult. You feel really alone. The ability of police to go online posing as someone underaged is a technique Queensland police have used for more than a decade. In fact, they've trained our police in the practice. Part of their team is former Auckland cop Detective Sergeant Peter Ravlich. I spoke to him in Brisbane earlier and asked if their methods could have prevented what happened to Sally. Uh, I wouldn't go as far as to say it would prevent it, um, however, we have a lot of tools in place and experience and expertise, uh, to detect those sort of offences and also to take action against those sorts of people. Does it work? And we have sufficient laws. Is it working for you over there? Yes, it is. Most definitely. Um, we have been able to detect numerous, uh, offenders preying on children online. Um, and we also have the legislation in place where we're able to prosecute them and put them before the courts. How many arrests have you made? I don't really want to go into those details because I don't want to give people any false sense of` of ideas of the` I suppose` the extent of the problem and also how many people we are able to arrest. But it is a big problem? It is most definitely a problem, and it's a problem that evolves every year, as new technology, new social-networking sites come in. We've always got to try and keep one step ahead. Is that possible? Because if you look at what's happening with the net, it changes so fast. How do you keep up with those technological changes? Uh, look, we have extensive networks throughout the world, and, in fact, we network quite closely with NZ authorities. We share information. As recent as today, I was in contact with NZ police over a developing, uh, internet site that we're keen to have a look at. internet site that we're keen to have a look at. It's a case of just networking and communicating with our law-enforcement partners around the world. Because, of course, you may have a situation ` someone being targeted in Queensland and the perpetrator is over here. Exactly. And vice versa. We're constantly referring our investigations to NZ, and NZ are referring their investigations for us, and, again, we got one today from NZ. The law is changing in this country. You have been training NZ police to make use of that. Are we sort of piggybacking on the work that Queensland has done over the last decade? I guess you could say that. Queensland police have been doing this online investigation since about 2001. We've learnt a lot over the years, and we've been able to impart some of our knowledge, anyway, to NZ police and also to the DIA and to customs. Does the publicity over it have a deterrent effect on these people? Uh, yeah. Yes, it does. We're very keen on public education and awareness, especially through schools and through education programmes with parents and children ` just about internet safety. What about the predators themselves? Do you think this campaign has put off people targeting young girls, young children on the net? Yeah, I have seen evidence of that. Every time a major operation is in the media, we do notice a` a drop-off. And, also, when we are talking to these people, they are also very aware of the media and what's being reported. Having the power to go on yourselves and look for these people, does it end up like shooting fish in a barrel? There must be so many of them out there. There are, but, um, we don't shoot fish in a barrel. We are very targeted in who we want to engage online. Our main aim is to protect kids and keep them safe, so, um, it just helps us identify who these predators might be before they actually target a real child. It must be a major asset for police work, but is it the, sort of, magic bullet? Not on its own. The ability to go online and pose as children or other adults as a police officer is a huge benefit to us in terms of law enforcement. It's not the magic bullet, though, because you have to combine that with education, with parents knowing what their children are doing online, because the parents really are the first line of defence in keeping children safe. Detective Sergeant Peter Ravlich from Queensland, thanks for joining us tonight. And Peter talked about the importance of education. Tomorrow we will be looking at just that ` tackling the issues through school and parents. So, as always, we want to hear what you think. Go to our website email us at closeup@tvnz.co.nz and we're on Facebook too ` facebook.com/closeup Coming up, could saving a dolphin make your fish and chips a whole lot more expensive? And fun for the whole family, if you're into cowboy hats and six-guns. Socialising ` a drink at the bar. It's just good fun. Will our Maui's dolphin go the way of the moa? That's the fear of conservationists after a survey estimated the total population stands at only 55, which makes these pictures pretty rare. The dolphins are quite distinctive ` smaller than other dolphin species, with dark markings and a rounded dorsal fin. This group was spotted on the weekend close to Raglan. Again, a rare sighting, according to experts. The government's reacted immediately to this latest population decline with a proposal for new protection measures ` extending the marine mammal sanctuary and the set-net ban off the Taranaki coast. But the fishing industry says, 'Don't blame us, and don't punish us.' Joining me now, from Nelson, Doug Saunder-Loder, the president of the NZ Federation of Commercial Fishing; and from the World Wildlife Fund, Rebecca Bird, in Wellington. Doug, can I start with you. Nets kill dolphins. Doug? Can you hear me? We may be having trouble reaching Nelson. Rebecca Bird, the fishing industry feel they are being unfairly blamed. What proof do you have that fishing is causing the problem? We know from government information that the highest risk to these dolphins is fishing nets. A lot of information has been collected over the years. Nets and water are absolutely a risk to these dolphins. These dolphins are very much on the brink. They've been declining over a number of years. Rapid decline in the '70s. That coincided with the introduction of monofilament nets ` the nylon mesh. Dolphins cannot detect the these kind of net. Still can't get in touch with Doug. Rebecca, Egmont Seafood says nets have only killed one dolphin in the Taranaki area in 25 years. That's incorrect. Voluntary reporting with dolphin deaths doesn't work. They're under-reported. But we do know that one death is critical to the population of Maui's. We lost a dolphin in January outside of the current protection area. If there's only 55 left, can they be saved? We absolutely believe they can. I will not stand by and allow us to preside over the extinction of these dolphins. We need to remove all manageable threats. What we're calling for is for the government to pull out all the stops and for the fishing industry to cooperate. Rebecca Bird, thank you. Sorry, but we lost Doug. Coming up, the family that shoots together stays together ` Abby Scott heads to the wild West Coast. People are surprised when you tell them it's a real sport. Is there an age where you're too old to be playing cowboys? Not according to the Milne family. Not only do they love putting on the chaps and packing pistols, they even have cowboy names for each other, like Dangerous Dolly and Sundown. And all this in Hokitika. Abby Scott on a sport ` yes, they consider it a sport ` that the whole family can play. WESTERN THEME 16-year-old Shontelle Milne's better known round these parts as Dangerous Dolly. THEME CONTINUES It's something not many other kids could say they've experienced throughout their whole life. She shot her first gun at age 4, but became Dangerous Dolly at just 2. Mum used to like dressing me up when I was a baby, and Dad used to say I was her little dolly. The name just, kinda, progressed into Dangerous Dolly because I used to be a kind of vicious child, I guess. That alias is registered to you. As long as you stay a member of this association, that alias is protected. No one else can take it. Sidewinder Sam. Witchdoctor. You'd be forgiven for thinking you've stepped on to the movie set of a 1960s western. Instead, you're just outside of Hokitika. Welcome to the wonderful world of cowboy action shooting ` a world the Milne family is fully immersed in. Dad is Sudden. Mum is Dakota Dixie. And Dolly's siblings are Nitro, Sundown and Sapphire. Nitro used to have a temper when he was younger, so nitro is explosive. There was a programme once called Gladiators, so Sapphire's one of the characters from that. With the kids aged between 16 and 22, cowboy action shooting competitions are the one thing that brings them all home. This year's annual trans-Tasman clash staged quite literally in their backyard ` a custom-built rifle range on the family property. A property, it seems, is big enough for the lot of them. I'm very proud of her. She's put a lot of work into it ` sweat, blood, tears. From building the props to putting the targets out ` we've all been part of it. We've all helped to make it what it is now. So it will hit the diamond there. This is a completely custom-designed range for cowboys, and just the set-up ` like, all the old building and that there. Probably one of the better ones in the world. Cowboy shooting originated in the States back in the '80s. It's been one of the fastest-growing sports in NZ. People are surprised when you tell them it's a real sport. And while it's most definitely competitive, with a mixture of speed and accuracy required,... Oh, it was so obvious I was going to miss. ...it's not all about sport. This is every girl's dream ` getting to dress up in such elaborate costumes. Yeah, it is quite fun. Your gloves, which all saloon girls must have. This is the more, kind of, formal dress, and that's on the Saturday night. And then this one? That is, um, for Sunday. It's something you can shoot in, but it's also a little bit more dressy than the pants. Does a lot of planning go into these outfits? Definitely. Yeah, I was planning my outfits months ago. You don't get to wear a cowboy hat and six-guns when you're in a retail shop. Socialising, drink in the bar. It's just good fun. So this is living out your childhood dream? Yes. Definitely. Alive or dead, it's your choice. Dad's childhood obsession transferred to his kids. Quite often they roll their eyes. Secretly, they love it. I mean, what other kids get the chance to come out here and shoot guns. They're not the most normal people you'd meet. We're all a little bit crazy. WESTERN THEME Keep away, varmints. I'm working here. THEME CONTINUES I think the pistol-load could have been a wee bit faster. Time for your feedback now, and the new police powers to capture online sex offenders has you emailing in. We're continuing this tomorrow ` parenting and education. That's NZ Close Up. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air.