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AAP
AAP
National
Ethan James

Ex-detention centre worker faces serious sex charges

A former Ashley Youth Detention Centre worker is on multiple charges, including 11 counts of rape. (Ethan James/AAP PHOTOS)

A former youth detention centre worker has been charged with serious sexual offences after investigations stemming from an inquiry into child abuse in government institutions.

The 64-year-old Tasmanian man has been accused of 11 counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault and two counts of indecency.

The charges relate to three victim-survivors and follow investigations sparked by a state inquiry into child sexual abuse, police said in a statement on Friday.

Some of the alleged abuse took place between 1974 and 1982, police said. 

Launceston Magistrates Court
The 64-year-old man will face the Launceston Magistrates Court in June. (Ethan James/AAP PHOTOS)

Another alleged incident occurred at the Ashley Youth Detention Centre between 1990 and 2021 when the man worked there. 

The inquiry delivered its final report in September 2023 and found Tasmania's government too often responded inadequately to reports or instances of child sexual abuse. 

It focused heavily on the detention centre, which was the subject of harrowing evidence.

The man will appear in Launceston Magistrates Court on June 11.

Police have set up a task force which is working with government agencies to investigate child abuse allegations stemming from the inquiry.

"(We) strongly encourage anyone with information about any form of sexual abuse, regardless of the passage of time, to come forward and report it," police said. 

Lifeline 13 11 14

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

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