A child educator has been charged with possessing child abuse and bestiality material after allegedly contacting someone he believed to be a teenage girl.
Alexandre Saneev, 49, was arrested after an investigation over allegations he communicated online with a person he believed was a 15-year-old girl.
Police on Friday said they found videos of child abuse material on his phone and seized a number of other electronic items for further examination
Saneev was refused bail after appearing at Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday following his arrest.
He has been banned from working in the Australian early learning sector by the NSW Early Learning Commission.
Saneev has not been required to enter a plea and none have been entered.
The 49-year-old's case is the latest in a string of educators accused of child sexual abuse crimes.
David William James on Friday admitted taking explicit photos of young children while working at out-of-school centres in Sydney's north and city areas between April 2021 and May 2024.
He pleaded guilty to 11 charges related to the production and possession of child abuse material, and doing a sexual act with children to produce child sex abuse material.
Earlier in December, Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown who had worked at 23 centres was hit with 83 more charges after more alleged victims were identified.
Brown faces more than 150 charges including six counts of penetration of a child under 12, eight counts of producing child abuse material for use through a carriage service, seven counts of transmitting child abuse material and eight counts of sexual assault of a child under 16.
The shocking allegations have paved the way for widespread distrust in the early education system.
In response, the federal government fast-tracked a slew of regulations including a website that named and shamed early learning centres that breached child safety laws and reforms to strip childcare providers of their funding if they fail to meet quality, safety and compliance standards.
The NSW Early Learning Commission, which came into force on December 1, was established in a bid to improve transparency and trust in the sector.
Saneev will return to court on February 3.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
