Australian health authorities are urging about 1,200 children in the state of Victoria to be tested for infectious diseases after police charged a childcare worker with dozens of sexual abuse offences.
Police yesterday said that Joshua Brown, a 26-year-old Melbourne man, had been arrested and charged in May with more than 70 offences relating to eight alleged victims.
The alleged victims were aged five months to two years of age and attended Creative Garden Early Learning Centre between April 2022 and January 2023.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Police said they had launched a significant investigation since Brown’s arrest.
Sex crime squad detectives concluded Brown had worked at 20 Melbourne childcare centers between January 2017 and May, and were also investigating allegations of offending at a second childcare center in Melbourne’s north.
Victoria Chief Health Officer Christian McGrath said 2,600 families had been contacted by authorities, with 1,200 children recommended to undergo testing for infectious diseases.
“This is another distressing element to the situation, and we’re taking this approach as a precaution,” McGrath told a news conference. “We do believe it’s a low risk, but we want to offer this to provide assurance to the parents about the health and wellbeing of their children.”
Police said the investigation was triggered by the discovery of child abuse material, not by a complaint made by a victim.
Brown, who remains in police custody, is to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Sept. 15.
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