A former childcare worker in Australia has been charged with 1,623 child abuse offences, including 136 counts of rape, against 91 young girls over a 15-year period. The alleged abuse took place at 12 early learning centres in Brisbane, Sydney, and overseas between 2007 and 2022.
The 45-year-old Gold Coast man was arrested in August 2022 after police traced a video discovered on the dark web in 2014 to a Brisbane childcare centre. A subsequent search of his home uncovered a hard drive containing nearly 4,000 images and videos of child abuse material.
Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough described the alleged offending as 'deeply distressing' and 'unfathomable'. She confirmed that all 87 Australian victims had been identified and their parents informed, with some now over 18. Authorities are working to identify four children in recordings made overseas.
New South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said the man would face over 100 charges in NSW, calling it 'one of the most horrific child abuse cases' he had seen in nearly 40 years. The man is scheduled to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on 21 August.
