A former childcare worker has been charged with more than 1,600 child abuse offences, including rape, against 91 young girls at early learning centres in Brisbane, Sydney, and overseas over a 15-year period. The 45-year-old Gold Coast man allegedly abused children aged under 10 at 12 childcare centres between 2007 and 2022.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) say the man was arrested in August 2022 after officers traced identifiable features in a video on the dark web 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.
The man faces 1,623 charges, including 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10. The alleged offences occurred at 10 centres in Brisbane, one in Sydney, and one overseas. Police believe all 87 Australian victims have been identified, with four overseas victims still being traced.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough described the case as “deeply distressing” and “unfathomable,” praising investigators for their persistence. New South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald called it “one of the most horrific child abuse cases” he had seen in nearly 40 years of policing.
The man is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on 21 August. NSW Police plan to seek his extradition to face further charges in Sydney.
