Editor's note: An audio recording of the press conference held on 1 August is available via Hightail. An AFP investigation has led to a former childcare worker being charged with child abuse offences against 91 children - including counts of rape and counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 - in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas between and The Gold Coast man, 45, has been in custody in Queensland since August when the AFP arrested and charged him initially with two counts of making child exploitation material and one count of using a carriage service for child pornography material.
After the man was charged last year, the AFP will allege further self-produced child abuse material was identified on electronic devices allegedly owned by the man. Operation Tenterfield has in part focussed on identifying the children in the alleged child abuse material recorded at childcare centres in Queensland 10 and NSW one , and an early learning centre attached to a school overseas. The AFP alleges the man recorded his offending on phones and cameras while working in 10 childcare centres in Brisbane between to , and to ; an overseas location in and ; and one centre in Sydney between and All the children allegedly offended against were pre-pubescent girls.
The man worked at other childcare centres but the AFP is highly-confident the man did not allegedly offend at those centres. The AFP is also highly-confident that all 87 Australian children who were recorded in the alleged child abuse material have been identified. The AFP believes the man recorded all his alleged offending. The parents of all the Australian children recorded in the alleged child abuse material have been informed of the investigation.
Some of the individuals identified in the alleged child abuse material are now aged over 18 years and have been informed. Support services have been offered and continue to be provided. The AFP is working with international authorities to help identify four children recorded in alleged child abuse material created overseas. Operation Tenterfield with the assistance of Strike Force Boorong has undertaken detailed forensic investigations of more than images and videos containing alleged child abuse material, which was allegedly created by the man.
In July, , the AFP laid further charges against the man on top of the three original charges for the alleged offending against 64 children in Queensland and four children overseas. Charges include:. Operation Tenterfield has been complex and has involved highly-skilled victim identification specialists.
