A former Melbourne childcare employee going through greater than 70 little one abuse offences has been charged with one other 83 alleged crimes together with six counts of kid rape.
Joshua Dale Brown, 27, was arrested in Could with police alleging he abused eight youngsters – together with a five-month-old – between April 2022 and January 2023.
The case prompted authorities in July to induce about 2,000 youngsters throughout greater than 20 centres the place Mr Brown had labored to endure testing for infectious illnesses.
On Thursday, police mentioned the brand new prices relate to alleged offences in opposition to 4 new victims between 2019 and February this yr at three centres in addition to further offences in opposition to the preliminary eight youngsters.
The households of the 4 new victims have been notified, police mentioned, and the brand new prices don’t contain any new childcare centres so well being authorities aren’t recommending any additional testing for infectious illnesses.
The brand new prices embody allegations of kid rape, tried little one rape, producing and sharing little one abuse materials and little one sexual assault.
Mr Brown additionally faces 12 counts of bestiality which police mentioned was a part of a separate investigation and never associated to any childcare centres.
He stays in custody and is because of face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court docket in February subsequent yr.
The case, alongside a number of different high-profile circumstances of sexual and bodily abuse at childcare centres, has sparked widespread panic throughout Australia with parents, carers and experts concerned about the childcare industry’s safety standards.
In response, the federal authorities gave itself higher powers to strip funding from childcare suppliers that breach high quality and security requirements.
Authorities additionally rushed in a set of “harder little one security guidelines” by parliament together with new regulation on checks for individuals who work with youngsters.
However specialists say higher reform, together with a nationwide register for employees, is required.
The case additionally prompted G8 Training – one in all Australia’s largest personal childcare centre operators and which owned the centre the place Mr Brown labored – to speed up the installation of CCTV at its 400-plus centres.
It additionally launched so-called “intimate care waivers”, giving dad and mom and carers the choice to decide on who carried out personal and delicate duties.
