Australian health authorities call for infectious disease tests of 1,200 children after man charged with sex offences
SYDNEY - Australian health authorities are urging around 1,200 children in the state of Victoria to be tested for infectious diseases after police charged a childcare worker with dozens of sexual abuse offences.
Police said on J uly 1 that Joshua Brown, a 26-year-old Melbourne man, had been arrested and charged in May with more than 70 offences relating to eight alleged victims.
The alleged victims were aged between five months and two years of age and attended Creative Garden Early Learning Centre between April 2022 and January 2023.
Police said they had launched a significant investigation since Brown's arrest.
Sex crime squad detectives concluded Brown had worked at 20 Melbourne childcare centres between January 2017 and May 2025, and were also investigating allegations of offending at a second childcare centre in Melbourne's north.
Victoria's chief health officer Christian McGrath said 2,600 families had been contacted by authorities, with about 1,200 children recommended to undergo testing for infectious diseases.
'This is another distressing element to the situation, and we're taking this approach as a precaution,' McGrath told a news conference.
'We do believe it's a low risk, but we want to offer this to provide assurance to the parents about the health and wellbeing of their children.'
Police said the investigation was triggered by the discovery of child abuse material, not by a complaint made by a victim.
Acting Police Commander Janet Stevenson said Brown was not previously known to police and held a valid permit to work with children, which has since been cancelled.
Brown, who remains in police custody, will appear before the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Sept 15.
Ms Stevenson said a suppression order on Brown's identity was lifted in order to notify parents with children in childcare.
'We felt that it was really important. This is unique. It's very important to ensure that every parent out there that has a child in childcare, knows who he is and where he worked,' she said.
'It was an unusual decision but it is before the courts and so it is actually public knowledge.' REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Australia police search for suspect in arson attack on Melbourne synagogue
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SYDNEY - Australian police said late on Friday they were looking for a man suspected of deliberately starting a fire at a Melbourne synagogue filled with worshippers. The fire at the synagogue in the east of Victoria's state capital was sparked on Friday night, police said in a statement. Firefighters extinguished the blaze at the entrance and there were no injuries. "There were approximately 20 people inside the synagogue at the time of the incident," police said, adding that an arson specialist was investigating the scene. Police said of the attack there was "no place in our society for antisemitic or hate-based behaviour". Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of Executive Council of Australian Jewry, an umbrella group for Australia's Jews, said in a statement the arson took place as those inside sat down to Shabbat dinner. "These events are a severe escalation directed towards our community," Ryvchin said. Australia has suffered several antisemitic incidents in recent years, with homes, schools, synagogues and vehicles targeted by vandalism and arson, drawing the ire of the country's traditional ally Israel. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore From temples to towers: Old memories collide with new money in Geylang Singapore Clans of Geylang: The fight for survival and revival World Hamas says it responds to Gaza ceasefire proposal in 'a positive spirit' Asia Surviving 40 deg C summer in Chongqing, one of China's hottest cities Singapore PAP has begun search for new candidates; PM Wong hopes to deploy them earlier ahead of next GE Singapore 20 retired MPs spoke up on many issues in Parliament, helped successors prepare for new role: PM Wong Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Asia JB petrol station shooting: Dead man with bullet wounds dumped at hospital The incidents have included a fake plan set up by organised crime to attack a Sydney synagogue using a caravan of explosives in order to divert police resources, police said in March. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Russian air defences down dozens of Ukrainian drones, including two near St Petersburg
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Russian air defence units downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in widely dispersed parts of the country, including two near the country's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, officials said. Alexander Drozdenko, Governor of Leningrad region surrounding St. Petersburg, wrote on Telegram that two drones were downed in different districts south of the city. He said no injuries or damage was reported. Operations were suspended for a time at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport. The governor of Smolensk region in western Russia said anti-aircraft units had downed three drones without any casualties or damage. The governor of Voronezh region, next to Ukraine said "several" drones had been destroyed. The Russian Defence Ministry reported a total of 42 drones destroyed over a three-hour period, 37 of them in three regions bordering Ukraine -- Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk. Ukraine has deployed drones increasingly in attacks on distant targets in Russian territory. In one spectacular set of strikes last month, in an operation dubbed "Spider's Web", a number of Russian bombers were hit at various air bases. Russian forces have used increasing numbers of drones to target Ukrainian cities, with a record total of 539 drones and 11 missiles deployed against Kyiv on Thursday night, according to the Ukrainian air force. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore From temples to towers: Old memories collide with new money in Geylang Singapore Clans of Geylang: The fight for survival and revival World Hamas says it responds to Gaza ceasefire proposal in 'a positive spirit' Asia Surviving 40 deg C summer in Chongqing, one of China's hottest cities Singapore PAP has begun search for new candidates; PM Wong hopes to deploy them earlier ahead of next GE Singapore 20 retired MPs spoke up on many issues in Parliament, helped successors prepare for new role: PM Wong Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Asia JB petrol station shooting: Dead man with bullet wounds dumped at hospital Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his military had successfully deployed drone interceptors to down Russian drones in the overnight attack. REUTERS
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 5, 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox At least 13 people were dead after flash flooding hit south-central Texas early on July 4, with more than 20 girls at a summer camp still missing. At least 13 people dead, 20 missing in Texas flash flood At least 13 people were dead after flash flooding hit south-central Texas early on July 4, officials said, with more than 20 girls at a summer camp still unaccounted for. 'We have identified 13 fatalities,' Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha told a press conference, after devastating floods swept through the region north-west of San Antonio. He warned more casualties were likely. Some of the dead were children, Texas Lieutenant-Governor Dan Patrick said. 'About 23' girls were unaccounted for from Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River, which rose 8m in 45 minutes overnight, Lt-Gov Patrick added. READ MORE HERE US plans AI chip curbs on Malaysia, Thailand over China The US wants to prevent China from obtaining AI chips through intermediaries in the two South-east Asian nations. PHOTO: REUTERS President Donald Trump's administration plans to restrict shipments of AI chips from the likes of Nvidia to Malaysia and Thailand, as part of an effort to crack down on suspected semiconductor smuggling into China. A draft rule from the Commerce Department seeks to prevent China – to which the US has effectively banned sales of Nvidia's advanced AI processors – from obtaining those components through intermediaries in the two South-east Asian nations, according to people familiar with the matter. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore From temples to towers: Old memories collide with new money in Geylang Singapore Clans of Geylang: The fight for survival and revival Singapore PAP has begun search for new candidates; PM Wong hopes to deploy them earlier ahead of next GE Singapore 20 retired MPs spoke up on many issues in Parliament, helped successors prepare for new role: PM Wong Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Singapore Banks tighten vigilance and processes following $3b money laundering case Asia JB petrol station shooting: Dead man with bullet wounds dumped at hospital Singapore Trilateral work group formed to address allegations of foreigners illegally taking on platform work The rule is not yet finalised and could still change, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations. READ MORE HERE Russia brushes off talks after largest assault on Ukraine Russia on July 4 said that it sees no immediate diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, hours after pummelling the war-torn country with its largest ever drone and missile barrage of the invasion. The hours-long bombardments sent Ukrainians scurrying for shelters across the country and came after a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which ended without a breakthrough. Mr Trump also said he had made no progress in discussions with Mr Putin on ending more than three years of bitter fighting since the Kremlin ordered its troops into neighbouring Ukraine. READ MORE HERE Czech Republic hit by major power outage Crashed cars are seen at an intersection in Prague, after a power outage caused traffic lights to stop working on July 4. PHOTO: REUTERS A power outage in large parts of the Czech Republic, including Prague, trapped people in public transport and lifts and idled factories on July 4 after a fallen high-voltage cable disrupted the network. The incident is likely to add to concerns about the resilience of Europe's power infrastructure after Spain suffered the worst blackout in its history in April and a fire knocked out the power supply to London's Heathrow airport in March. 'There was a massive power outage in part of Prague and in the northern and eastern Czech Republic around 12pm today,' the Industry and Trade Ministry said. 'The cause was the fall of a power cable, not a cyberattack nor a failure of renewable resources.' READ MORE HERE Liverpool's Diogo Jota mourned at hometown wake Floral tributes to Diogo Jota outside Liverpool's Anfield Stadium on July 4. PHOTO: REUTERS Hundreds of residents of Gondomar in northern Portugal filed past the bodies of former Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva at a chapel in their hometown on July 4, after their deaths in a car crash in Spain. At an earlier private wake, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, FC Porto President Andre Villas-Boas, Portuguese Football Federation President Pedro Proenca and Jota's longtime agent Jorge Mendes joined the brothers' family including Jota's wife Rute Cardoso, who had married the footballer just weeks earlier. 'It is a moment of great pain for the family, who are left anchored to this tragic accident,' Proenca said as he left the wake.
