Melbourne childcare worker charged with multiple child sexual abuse offences
Published 1 July 2025, 7:12 am
A warning that the following report contains distressing details. In a case that Victoria 's premier has called 'every parent's worst nightmare', authorities are urging 12 hundred young children in Victoria be tested for sexually transmitted diseases, after a childcare worker was charged with sexual abuse offences. The alleged offender worked at several childcare centres across Melbourne.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Police charge second man with child sex abuse offences following Joshua Brown allegations
Police have revealed fresh details about the allegations surrounding a second man charged with child sexual offences, following Tuesday's revelation of the alleged large-scale sexual abuse of children at Victorian childcare centres. The allegations against the second man, Michael Simon Wilson, stem from the probe into childcare worker Joshua Brown. Yesterday, Victorian Police revealed they had charged Mr Brown, 26, with 70 offences after he allegedly abused eight children at a Point Cook childcare centre in Melbourne. It is alleged some children were as young as five months. A widespread investigation has now been launched, with Victoria's chief health officer saying 1200 children have been recommended to undergo infectious diseases testing. Mr Wilson and Mr Brown are reportedly known to each other, though the nature of the relationship is unclear. On Wednesday afternoon, Victorian Police revealed Mr Wilson was a 36-year-old man from Hoppers Crossing. 'Detectives from the Sexual Crimes Squad have charged a man in relation to an alleged sexual assault in Coburg in April,' a police spokeswoman said. 'A 36-year-old Hoppers Crossing man has been charged with a range of sexual offences including rape. 'The charges relate to an investigation into an incident in Coburg on April 16 where a teenage boy was allegedly sexually assaulted.' Mr Wilson's alleged offences are not believed to involve childcare centres or any of Mr Brown's alleged victims. Mr Brown was arrested on May 12 and is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on September 15. Mr Wilson will appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on the same day. Police allege Mr Brown worked at 20 centres across the state between January 2017 and May 2025. On Wednesday, Education Minister Jason Clare revealed he knew a family impacted by the allegations. 'I know that they're angry because (I know) one of those parents and her two little girls are directly affected by this,' Mr Clare said on Wednesday. 'And I won't tell you what she told me last night because you can't repeat it on television, but she's right to be mad. 'I'm mad. I think anyone who works in the early education system and there's hundreds of thousands of fantastic people who do, would be angry today as well. 'And my friend is mad because of all of the stress and the trauma and the crap that she and her girls are going to have to go through in the weeks ahead.' Christian McGrath, Victoria's chief health officer, said 2600 families had been contacted in the fallout from the arrest of Mr Brown. The Department of Health has recommended 1200 children undergo screening and testing as a 'precautionary measure'. 'The risk is low, but there's not no risk, which is why we're making this recommendation,' he said in an update from Wednesday. He said the department had assisted 1300 families across Tuesday. Mr Clare said the problem of predators in childcare settings was 'serious' and required 'serious action'. 'It's one of the reasons why I put this on the top of the agenda when education ministers met last week,' he said. 'Let me be clear – when education ministers met to discuss child safety last week, we didn't discuss this case, but we discussed – what are the next steps that we need to take as a nation to make sure that our kids are safe in early education and care?' The federal government has already banned personal mobile phones in centres and changed rules around mandatory reporting from seven days to 24 hours following complaints about sexual or physical abuse. Mr Clare promised further reforms, including cutting off funding for centres that fail to meet minimum standards. He also flagged changes to background checks for workers. 'It's taken too long to do the work necessary to make sure that our Working with Children Check system is up to scratch,' he said. 'I've spoken a number of times with the Attorney-General, Michelle Rowland, the new Attorney-General, and I think I can safely speak on her behalf – she agrees, and is determined to take the action necessary here to make sure that our working with children checks across the nation are up to scratch. 'That'll be something that will be discussed by Attorneys-General when they meet next month.' He cautioned that a working with children check was not a 'silver bullet'. 'In too many examples, a perpetrator is eventually caught and arrested and sentenced, there's somebody that got a Working with Children Check because they had no prior criminal record,' he said. 'And so it's only one of the things that we need to focus on here if we're serious about making sure that we keep our kids safe.' Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said urgent changes were also incoming for the state. 'There is a substantial amount of work that is already underway across the Commonwealth and state and territory governments to strengthen the safety in the sector,' she said in a fresh update on Wednesday. 'Here in Victoria, though, I won't wait. Families cannot wait. More needs to happen now.' The state government will immediately begin building a register for childcare workers, she said, and will bring forward a policy to ban personal devices in centres. 'To avoid delay, we'll be putting all Victorian childcare centres on notice,' she said. 'They will be required to adopt this ban on personal devices, effective from September 26. 'Childcare centres who don't comply with this ban will have this placed on them as a condition of licence and may face fines of up to $50,000. The premier will also commission an 'urgent review' into childcare safety, with more details expected at the end of the week. The review will examine the possibility of installing CCTV cameras in centres and the deploying a 'four eyes' principle, meaning children should not be left alone with a single adult. It will also review whether the five-year working with children check time frame should be shortened. The premier said she had 'not been briefed' on Mr Wilson's arrest. Some families will be eligible for a $5000 support payment, the government has confirmed, to help cover alternative care arrangements, loss of earnings and other practical needs in the fallout from Tuesday.
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
WA coroner makes nine recommendations after finding policeman acted 'too hastily' before shooting JC
A Western Australian coroner has found the fatal shooting of a woman by police on a Geraldton street was preventable, and has made nine recommendations to prevent a similar outcome in the future. WARNING: The following story contains discussions of suicidal ideation and the image of an Indigenous person who has died. The 29-year-old Ngarlawangga Yamatji Martu woman, referred to as JC for cultural reasons, was shot dead by officer Brent Wyndham, after she was recently released from prison and reported to be walking down a suburban street holding a knife in September 2019. Two years later, Mr Wyndham was acquitted of murder after telling his WA Supreme Court trial he acted in self-defence, believing she was going to stab him before he fired his weapon. The verdict sparked an outpouring of grief from JC's friends and family as well as the local Indigenous community. A two-week coronial inquest last year in Geraldton and Perth examined the actions of the eight officers at the scene of the shooting. The inquest focused on factors including the circumstances of JC's death, the adequacy of WA Police policies and training concerning de-escalation and use of force, and the adequacy of mental health care she received in the weeks prior to her death. Coroner Ros Fogliani ultimately found JC's death to be a "lawful homicide". However, she found there were a number of opportunities for police to de-escalate the situation. Coroner Fogliani said JC's death was preventable, despite it being unknown whether a de-escalation tactic could have prevented the shooting. The findings detailed how JC had endured a difficult life, which was marred by long-term impacts, with her likely fetal alcohol spectrum disorder contributing to her volatility. She said JC's social factors became "overwhelming" and contributed to some instances of poor decision-making in her life. The findings stated JC's homelessness exacerbated her "fragile mental state", leading to suicidal thoughts. Both the inquest and trial highlighted the significant challenges JC faced accessing effective mental health care, particularly after her return to Geraldton. She had been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and drug induced psychosis by age 20, with an additional diagnosis of schizophrenia made in later years. But with the bulk of her treatment taking place in Perth, the inquest heard she effectively fell off the radar of local support services after her return to country. Amongst Ms Fogliani's recommendations is a call for better information sharing between WA's various health services, as well as between health and WA Police, about potentially vulnerable people re-entering the community. "That she died three weeks after her release from prison ... is very telling," Coroner Fogliani said. The coroner said Mr Wyndham shot JC within 17 seconds of leaving his vehicle. "He acted too hastily in running towards the threat posed by JC, not considering communication with the other police officer who was trying to engage with JC and putting himself in a situation where he perceived the need to fire," she said. Coroner Fogliani said JC's premature death caused immeasurable grief for her family and caused distress for Aboriginal communities. "It sadly reactivated and magnified the historical mistrust and antipathy that many Aboriginal persons feel towards police officers, for reasons that are well known and deeply embedded in the unfortunate and brutal consequences of colonisation," she said. The coroner said she was satisfied WA Police missed opportunities to effectively train the attending officers at the incident. "There were missed opportunities to communicate, which may have avoided JC being approached so quickly," she said. Coroner Fogliani said she could not exclude JC was having a psychotic episode when she was fatally shot. "JC fell through the cracks in the system," she said. The coroner said she was hopeful her recommendations would assist in providing "continuity of care and follow up" when Aboriginal people are removed from Country for treatment. The findings also included nine recommendations from the coroner, the first being improving relations with Aboriginal communities. Coroner Fogliani said consideration should be given to establishing a section or branch within WA Police dedicated to improving the relationship between police and Aboriginal people. Coroner Fogliani recommended WA Police oversee Aboriginal Cultural Awareness training, to be co-designed with and delivered by Indigenous people — on a regular basis. She asked for the effect of intergenerational trauma, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and the importance of cultural wellbeing, to be a focus. There was a recommendation for six police officers to undergo additional training. Coroner Fogliani also made a number of recommendations into the treatment of people with mental health issues. She called for the Department of Health to consult with WA Police, in working on how relevant information, such as mental health conditions can be shared between agencies. A recommendation was also made for discharging health service providers to consider notifying local health services a patient was returning to Country or an area they habitually reside.
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Mother shares her fears following allegations of sex abuse by childcare worker
The repercussions continue of the arrest and charging of a Melbourne childcare worker on multiple sex offences. The 26-year-old who faces 70 charges had worked at 20 different childcare centres across the city beginning in 2017. Parents who trusted those centres to take care of their children now face excruciating questions. 7.30's Alysia Thomas-Sam spoke to one of the parents, who for legal reasons can't be identified.
