A former childcare worker in Australia has been charged with more than 1,600 child abuse offences, including rape against 91 young girls. The man committed the abuses at a dozen early learning centres, spread across Brisbane, Sydney and overseas over a 15-year period.
Not only did the man rape the kids, but he also filmed it and later distributed the content online, especially over the dark net. The police became aware of the 45-year-old Gold Coast childcare worker’s alleged offences after identifying a video discovered on the dark web in 2014.
He was arrested last year in August and the police discovered a hard drive filled with child abuse material of young girls while executing warrants at his home and other addresses.
According to Australian media reports, the man is facing a cumulative 1,623 child abuse charges, including 246 counts of rape, 637 counts of indecent assault, alleged to have taken place from 2007 to 2022.
Authorities investigating the case have described it as one of the most “horrific” cases they have ever seen.
“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,” Australian Federal Police (AFP) Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough was quoted as saying by BBC.
Gough said all 87 Australian girls recorded in the alleged child abuse material have been identified, and their parents informed about horrific events. The AFP is now working with international authorities to identify the four children who were molested in the recordings, created overseas.
“Given there were so many alleged images and videos of children recorded over 15 years on the alleged offender’s devices, the process of identification took time, skill and determination,” Gough said, informing that the kids had been identified under Operation Tenterfield.
“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.”
Notably, the man had been reported to the Queensland police in 2021 and 2022 as well. However, the investigators found insufficient evidence to act against him. He is now scheduled to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on 21 August to face further musis for his malevolent crimes.
(With inputs from agencies)
