Aaliyah Edwards and Amity Lobb have been jointly named as the Lions Club of the City of Adelaide and South Australia Police (SAPOL) 2022 Citizen of the Year.
Aaliyah and Amity, both teenagers at the time, displayed outstanding courage and quick thinking in confronting an individual who was indecently filming them while they were shopping in the city. Their brave actions, reporting and identifying the man, provided police with crucial evidence resulting in his quick arrest. Their action left a lasting impression on both Investigating Officers and the SAPOL members supporting this award.
A subsequent search of the man's house revealed a significant amount of both downloaded child exploitation material and personally produced child exploitation material. The film and images depicted children as young as 14 years of age.
Aaliyah and Amity assisted SAPOL throughout the court process, becoming willing witnesses in the prosecution of the suspect.
In September 2022, the offender was found guilty of child exploitation offences and sentenced to a term of imprisonment.
Aaliyah and Amity are highly commended for their actions, which helped SAPOL protect the community from an individual who posed a significant risk to vulnerable people.
Commissioner of Police, Grant Stevens joined members of the Lions Club to present the award at a ceremony today.
"These women, who were young girls at the time, demonstrated amazing courage and persistence in the face of very confronting circumstances," Commissioner Stevens said.
"Without a doubt, they both contributed significantly to the conviction of this man. I thank Aaliyah and Amity for working so cooperatively with police and helping to create a safer community for South Australians."
Nominations for this award are made annually in recognition of assistance provided by community members to police during the previous year.
The Lions Club of the City of Adelaide and South Australia Police Citizen's Award was first awarded in 1979.
(Pictured below - Commissioner Grant Stevens, Aaliyah Edwards, Amity Lobb, Investigating Officers Brevet Sergeant Katy Watkins and Brevet Sergeant Tracy Coombes)
