Former Australian childcare worker charged with more than 1600 abuse offences against 91 children

Northern assistant commissioner for Australia’s federal police Justine Gough announces the arrest of a former childcare worker on numerous charges of child abuse. Screengrab from video / AFP

Warning: This story contains details some may find distressing.

An Australian former childcare worker has been charged with abusing 91 children over 15 years in what police described as one of the country’s “most horrific” child sex abuse cases.

Federal police said the offences happened at 10 childcare centres between 2007 and 2022 and exclusively targeted “prepubescent girls”.

The man has been charged with 1623 separate crimes, including 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child younger than 10, officers added.

Detectives sifted through huge amounts of graphic material captured on the 45-year-old man’s phone and said they were confident they had now identified all his alleged Australian victims. Police are working with officers in another country, which authorities did not name, to determine the extent of his alleged offending overseas.

A former childcare worker has been charged with 1623 child abuse offences against 91 children - including 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 - in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas between 2007 and 2022. https://t.co/fXi1uKsZvM

— AFP (@AusFedPolice) August 1, 2023

Newshub reported the “other country” was not believed to be New Zealand.

The man had passed all of the stringent background checks needed to work with children in Australia, police said.

‘Most horrific case’

“This is one of the most horrific child abuse cases that I’ve seen in nearly 40 years of policing,” Michael Fitzgerald, New South Wales assistant commissioner, told a news conference.

“It’s beyond the realms of anyone’s imagination what this person did to these children.

“You try not to be shocked after a long period of time in the police, but this is a horrific case.”

Queensland Police Service’s acting assistant commissioner Col Briggs said the charges were the culmination of years of dedicated and complex investigation across jurisdictions, known as Operation Tenterfield.

Police allege the man recorded his offending on phones and cameras while working in 10 childcare centres in Brisbane between 2007 to 2013, and between 2018 and 2022. Officers also claim the man recorded offences overseas in 2013 and 2014, and at a centre in Sydney between 2014 and 2017.

“From the moment [police taskforce] Argos located images of victim children being shared on the dark web in 2014 an extensive examination was launched to identify the children in the pictures,” Briggs said.

Police said that the suspect is facing extradition to New South Wales where he is wanted on an additional 180 child sex abuse charges allegedly involving 23 victims.

Justine Gough, the northern assistant commissioner for Australia’s federal police, said: “While I am extremely proud of law enforcement’s persistence and their unwavering dedication to identify this alleged offender, and stop further abuse, this is chilling news.

“There is not much solace I can give parents and children who have been identified under Operation Tenterfield, but I can tell you that we never gave up, and we never will when it comes to protecting children.”

Where to get help:

NZ Police

Victim Support

0800 842 846

Rape Crisis

0800 88 33 00

Rape Prevention Education

Empowerment Trust

HELP

Call 24/7 (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): be 04 801 6655 - 0

Safe to talk

- A 24/7 confidential helpline for survivors, support people and those with harmful sexual behaviour: 0800044334.

Mosaic

- Tiaki Tangata Peer support for males who have experienced trauma and sexual abuse: 0800 94 22 94

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.