Inside the life of alleged Melbourne childcare rapist Joshua Brown
Working at 20 childcare centres across Melbourne, Brown apparently attracted no notice from regulators for almost a decade until he was charged with 70 counts of child sex abuse, including rape, this year.
When police raided the 26-year-old's home in Point Cook in May, he had a valid working with children check and no criminal record.
Minutes down the road from his house were his old Catholic schools, as well as the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre, where it's alleged he abused at least eight babies and toddlers and contaminated children's food with bodily fluids.
Brown's former classmates at Emmanuel College were shocked when the news broke on Tuesday. They described a 'loner' in high school with few friends but no obvious concerns.
Few people wanted to comment, and Brown's social media presence appeared to have been wiped clean since his arrest in May.
Brown grew up in Point Cook and remained in the area in a rented home that he shared with a male housemate and a cat. It is now sitting vacant. Nearby were at least five of the childcare centres where he worked, though authorities are still scrambling to update his full employment history, after this masthead revealed it was wider than first released publicly to families.
Brown was easily recognisable to parents for his distinctive Celtic arm tattoos and ginger-coloured hair, which he often dyed different colours. Some families spoke of his easy laughter. He worked at large childcare chains G8 Education and Affinity Education and often did short-stint relief work at other centres.
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Sky News AU
a day ago
- Sky News AU
Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain fights back tears on live TV over Melbourne childcare abuse scandal
Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain has struggled to hold back tears while discussing allegations of child sex abuse during a live interview on Sky News Sunday Agenda. In a deeply emotional moment, Ms McBain choked up as she reflected on the impact the alleged crimes would have on families across the country. It comes after a man was charged with more than 70 offences of child sex abuse in Victoria. 'This is absolutely disgusting,' Ms McBain told Sky News Sunday Agenda. 'I think there are a lot of parents out there who are probably second guessing their thoughts on sending children to childcare, which is not what we want to see.' Holding back tears, the mother of three shared her own experience of returning to work just months after her first child was born. 'My eldest child, I had to put her into daycare when she was five months old because I needed to get back to work to help us pay off the mortgage,' she said. 'I walked into the baby's room of that childcare centre, really hesitant about giving over care and responsibility for my child to someone else. 'I walked in and I knew two of the three carers that were in there. And I immediately felt a little bit better, but I know that's not the case for a range of parents out there.' Ms McBain's emotional comments come after 26-year-old Joshua Brown, a former childcare worker, was charged with more than 70 child sex offences. Some of the children were as young as five months old. Victoria Police has said Brown, who has worked at 20 childcare centres across Melbourne since 2017, is accused of sexually penetrating a child under 12. Other allegations include producing and transmitting child abuse material, and contaminating food with bodily fluids. More than 1,200 children who may have come into contact with Brown have been urged to undergo STI testing. The move has fuelled calls from some survivors and advocates for a blanket ban on men working in early childhood education. Ms McBain did not weigh in on the controversial proposal to exclude male carers but reaffirmed the government's commitment to take action as she described the reports as "every parent's worst nightmare.' 'There'll be a range of measures that will be put in place by our government,' she said in response to a question about banning male carers. '(Education Minister) Jason Clare has said that he'll bring legislation to the parliament in our first sitting,' she said. 'I just want to assure parents out there that we're going to do everything possible to make sure that those conversations (about abuse) don't have to take place.' 'This sort of thing does pull at your heartstrings… We will work really hard because what we've seen reported, I think, is every parent's worst nightmare.' Education Minister Jason Clare has pledged urgent reforms, including new legislation allowing fraud investigators to make random, warrantless visits to childcare centres, The use of CCTV in centres to monitor staff-child interactions has also been proposed as another measure to improve safety. The broader national response may include reforms to working with children checks and better information sharing between states.
Daily Telegraph
2 days ago
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‘Feel gross': Dad's fury after discovering Joshua Brown worked at daughter's childcare centre
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. A Melbourne father has revealed the horrifying moment he realised his child had been in the care of accused pedophile Joshua Brown. Abraham Khoury's daughter attended Milestones Early Learning Centre in Greensborough in Melbourne's north east last year and was horrified when he found a photo of the accused pedophile alongside Mr Khoury's daughter. Melbourne father Abraham Khoury said he found a picture of his daughter alongside the accused sex offender. Picture: Channel 9 The image was taken on December 5, which Mr Khoury said he found on the childcare centre's communication app. He claimed neither the childcare centre, nor police, informed him that Mr Brown had allegedly worked at the centre. 'To know that he was there, and we were all kept in the dark about it, no one told us, there was no information available,' Mr Khoury told 9News. 'You're angry, you've been lied to. You feel gross.' Joshua Brown was spotted alongside Mr Khoury's daughter at an early learning centre in December last year. Picture: Channel 9 Mr Brown has been charged with 70 offences after he allegedly abused eight children at an early education centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023. It's alleged some of the children were as young as five months old. About 1200 children have since been advised to undergo testing for sexually transmitted diseases. The alleged offender worked in 20 childcare centres between January 2017 and May 2025, with a dedicated website established listing the childcare centres where he worked. The list includes three Milestones Early Leaning Centres in Hoppers Crossing, Werribee and Bundoora. However, the Greensborough centre was not mentioned on the list. The Melbourne man has been charged with 70 offences. Picture Supplied., Mr Khoury said he was horrified upon seeing the photo of the alleged sex offender with his daughter, and has since taken his child for testing. 'We have to get our child now tested for sexually transmitted diseases,' he said. The Melbourne father said he contacted the Greensborough centre, which is owned by Affinity Education Group, but heard nothing back. He urged for more to be done to protect children while attending early education centres. 'There needs to be reform, there needs to be cameras,' he told the outlet. 'There needs to be just more, because now it's just the bare minimum.' He worked at 20 childcare centres across the state since 2017. Picture Supplied., This week, Inspire Early Learning – which operates 16 childcare centres across Victoria and is not among one of the centres where Mr Brown worked – announced it would no longer allow male educators to change nappies or complete toilet duties at its centres. In a letter sent to parents, chief curriculum and quality officer Eleinna Anderson said male staff would still play a 'vital' role in activities and classroom preparation, but said the changes were a necessary step. 'The wellbeing and safety of your children are at the heart of everything we do,' she said per 7News. 'We're writing to share a few important updates to our guidelines around staff interactions with children and team responsibilities – changes made with careful thought and a continued commitment to maintaining a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all.' NewsWire has contacted Milestone Early Learning Centre and Affinity Group for comment. Originally published as 'Feel gross': Dad's fury after discovering Joshua Brown worked at daughter's childcare centre
