Parenting workers in Melbourne have been charged with a series of crimes, including child rape, with about 1,200 children under test for infectious diseases.
Joshua Dale Brown was arrested in May and faced 70 charges, with police accusing him of abuse of eight children, including a five-month-old, between April 2022 and January 2023.
The 26-year-old has been working in 20 childcare centers since 2017, prompting local health authorities to notify parents of any children who may have been in his care, suggesting that many are considered “precautions.”
Joshua Brown has not pleaded guilty to the charges and has been remanded in custody. He will appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in September.
Police alleged that eight children were under two years of age and attended a child care centre in a suburb of Melbourne.
Joshua Brown is charged with child rape and sexual assault, as well as the production and transmission of child abuse materials.
Detectives also investigated his alleged crimes “as a priority” at another child care center in Essendon, a suburb of Melbourne.
Authorities said at a press conference that he had valid work with children’s checks and was hired as a parenting worker when arrested.
They said Joshua Brown had no idea about them before the investigation, adding that they believed he was acting alone and that the alleged crime only occurred in Victoria.
Janet Stevenson of the Victoria Police Department said revealing his identity was an “unusual decision” but it was a “unique” case.
“Making sure every parent has a child in parenting knows who he is and where he works is very important,” she said.
Chief Health Officer Christian McGrath would not say whether the defendant tested positive for sexually transmitted infections, but said the way the alleged crime means that some children may be asked to be screened for infectious diseases.
He said about 2,600 families have been contacted and 1,200 children are recommended for testing, adding that infections in children who may have been exposed can be treated with antibiotics.
Victorian Prime Minister Jacinta Allan said she was accused of being “sick.”
“My heart is sad for families who live in every parent’s worst nightmare,” she said.
Allen said families across Victoria would be “angry and scared”, adding that a dedicated website has been established for those affected.
