Authorities in Australia have urged over 800 additional children to undergo testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), after four more childcare centres were linked to a former employee now facing more than 70 charges, including child rape.
Joshua Dale Brown, 26, is accused of sexually abusing eight children, aged between five months and two years, while working at a childcare centre in Point Cook, a suburb of Melbourne. The alleged offences occurred between April 2022 and January 2023.
Mr Brown was arrested in May and is due to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in September. Victoria Police said the list of centres where he worked has now grown from 20 to 23 after investigators uncovered additional dates and locations, with one previously named centre removed from the list following a review.
Earlier, the authorities contacted approximately 2,600 families with children who attended the centres. At least, 1,200 advised to undergo screening for STI, reported the Guardian.
The health department is contacting 830 more families whose children may have been in contact with Mr Brown, and recommends STI screening for approximately 800 of them after four more centres were added to the list. The infections being tested for include chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis – treatable conditions that are not commonly associated with children, and whose presence could indicate serious abuse.
Although the risk of exposure is “considered low”, Victoria’s chief health officer Dr Christian McGrath said testing is being advised as a precaution.
“This is obviously a highly distressing situation, and I want to reassure all families being contacted that the potential exposure risk to an infectious disease for their child remains low,” Dr McGrath said, reported the Guardian.
Families will be contacted via text message, followed by a phone call, and those who have already had their children tested do not need further screening.
Victoria Police Acting Commander Janet Stevenson acknowledged public frustration over the delays in updating Mr Brown’s work history. “We are working through a large amount of information that has been provided to us,” she said, reported ABC News.
“Each piece has to be individually assessed and verified before it can be released to the public.”
Investigators described the process of reconstructing Mr Brown’s employment timeline as “extremely complex” due to the lack of centralised records in the childcare sector. Detectives had to obtain handwritten rosters, execute search warrants, review over 270 Crime Stoppers reports, and interview multiple witnesses.
Ten of the 20 previously identified centres have had their employment dates amended following new information, while one centre, Papilio Early Learning in Hoppers Crossing was removed after investigators found Mr Brown had not worked there.
G8 Education, the childcare operator that employed Mr Brown at the time of his arrest, has committed to fast-tracking the installation of security cameras across its 400 centres and will initiate an independent review once criminal proceedings are concluded, reported BBC News.
Affinity Education Group, which operates several affected centres, has apologised for the distress caused and said it had submitted updated employment records to the police earlier this month. “No family should have to go through this. We are committed to supporting every family impacted,” a spokesperson said.
Despite being under investigation for concerning behaviour two years ago – reportedly unrelated to sexual misconduct – Mr Brown retained his Working with Children Check, a clearance mandatory for individuals employed in child-related roles.
The case has sparked widespread outrage across Victoria, with parents expressing anger not only at the alleged crimes but also at what they see as serious failings in the vetting and oversight of childcare workers.
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