Childcare Centre Worker Charged With Over 1600 Child Abuse Offences Which Took Place Since 2007

In a shocking revelation that has sent chills across Australia, especially to parents, a 45-year-old childcare worker from the Gold Coast has been charged with a staggering 1623 charges related to child abuse.

The man stands accused of a series of heinous crimes, including rape and sexual abuse of numerous young girls, which he allegedly recorded to create child exploitation material.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) unveiled on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, that the man’s alleged victims are 91 children from Brisbane, Sydney, and even overseas. The timeline of these horrifying acts spans from 2007 to 2022.

Among the numerous charges, the man faces 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10.

The investigation has uncovered that the man allegedly preyed on girls at 10 different childcare centres in Brisbane between 2007-2013 and 2018-2022. Additionally, victims were identified at a centre in Sydney between 2014 and 2017. The man’s alleged crimes also extend overseas during the period of 2014-2017.

Out of all the girls he allegedly offended against, four were from outside Australia. The accused reportedly used his crimes against these girls to create over 4000 child abuse images and videos.

The victims have all been identified from the recordings, and their parents have been informed. Some of the victims, now adults over 18, have been personally informed about the ongoing investigation.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough expressed her deep distress over the allegations, describing them as “unfathomable”.

She revealed that all the victims were prepubescent girls. “We allege the 45-year-old man from the Gold Coast recorded all this alleged offending on his phone and cameras,” she added.

Today, it was reported that the parents of the victims in Sydney and in Brisbane reached out to law firm Slater and Gordon and are set to seek compensation from the childcare centres, claiming that they have breached their duties.

Operation Tenterfield

In 2014, Queensland police first located the alleged child abuse images and videos on the dark web. The material was posted on an international database to seek assistance from the global victim-identification community.

Initially, there were no leads that helped the investigation to move forward. But in August 2022, the AFP was able to identify the backgrounds of the images to a Brisbane childcare centre.

The AFP issued a search warrant which led to the arrest of the childcare centre worker last August 20, 2022, initially for the two counts of making child exploitation material and one count of using a carriage service for child pornography material.

During the search they also discovered electronic devices with child abuse material of young girls.

According to the official media release , the AFP launched Operation Tenterfield immediately after arresting the man on 21 August last year with the involvement of the AFP, Queensland Police Service and New South Wales Police Force. The authorities undertook detailed forensic investigation of more than 4,000 images and videos containing alleged child abuse material allegedly recorded and created by the man.

At the moment, the litany of charges against him includes

• 136 counts of rape contrary to section 349 of the Criminal Code 1899 (QLD), which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment;
• 604 counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 contrary to section 210 of the Criminal Code 1899 (QLD), which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment;
• 613 counts of making child exploitation material, contrary to section 228B of the Criminal Code 1899 (QLD), which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment;
• 83 counts of possessing, controlling, producing, distributing or obtaining child pornography material outside Australia, contrary to section 273.5 of the Criminal Code (Cth), which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment;
• One count of possessing, controlling, distributing or obtaining child pornography material contrary to section 474.19 of the Criminal Code (Cth), which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment; and
• Six counts of possessing child exploitation material, contrary to section 228D of the Criminal Code (QLD), which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment.
• 68 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 contrary to section 66A(1) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment;
• 42 counts of aggravated sexual intercourse with a child under 10 under authority contrary to section 66A(2) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment;
• 69 counts of aggravated indecent assault contrary to section 61M(2) of Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment; and
• One count of producing child abuse material contrary to section 91H(2) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.

(Read more information in the official press release here.)

Please note that under the Queensland law, the alleged suspect cannot be named until his case is committed to trial.

This case serves as a chilling reminder of the need for constant vigilance and stringent checks in places meant to be safe havens for our children.

Sources:

• Man charged with rape and sexual assaults at childcare centres
• Explained | Australian man charged with 1,623 sexual abuse offences: Here’s what happened
• Police say dark web images led to charging a former childcare worker with 1623 child sex offences
• Australian childcare worker charged with 1623 child abuse offences in Sydney, Brisbane and overseas