Victorian Childcare Worker Charged with 70 Child Sex Offences

Further investigations into more allegations are still ongoing.

A child plays with LEGO bricks in Melbourne, Australia, on April 15, 2021. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

A childcare worker in Victoria has been charged with more than 70 child sex offences, with further investigations ongoing.

On July 1, Victoria Police announced that they had arrested Joshua Brown, a 26-year-old Point Cook man, on May 20 for allegedly sexually abusing eight children in his care.

The man was charged with many serious offences, including sexual penetration of a child under 12, attempted sexual penetration of a child under 12, sexual activity in the presence of a child under 16, producing and transmitting child abuse material, and using a carriage service to offend.

According to local authorities, eight victims attended a childcare centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023.

Their families have been notified of the charges and provided with support services.

While all of the man’s 70 charges are limited to the Point Cook childcare centre, police are investigating a second location in Essendon where there is an allegation of offending.

Between January 2017 and May 2025, Brown worked at 20 different childcare centres, with the majority of them located in Melbourne’s western suburbs, such as Wyndham Vale, Werribee, Sanctuary Lakes, and Williamstown.

Authorities have released a list of the centres, along with the dates during which the man was employed at each location.

They are also in the process of contacting families of children who attended the impacted centres during the periods of the man’s employment to ensure sufficient support is provided.

Police said current evidence indicated that all alleged offences occurred in Victoria and did not involve any other staff member at any of the impacted childcare centres.

Janet Stevenson, acting commander of Victoria Police’s crime command, said the case was “incredibly distressing and confronting” for law enforcement and has caused enormous concerns within the community.

“The most important thing for our investigators was that we needed to identify the victims involved. These are some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and the conversations police have had to have with their families were no doubt life-changing in the worst possible way,” she said in a statement.

“There will be people in the community who hear this news and feel very concerned about their own children.

“Parents who had a child at a centre at the time of the man’s employment are being notified today and a website has been set up by the Victorian government with further information for impacted families.”

The commander also called on people who have relevant information about the case to come forward and contact the police.

“This may be people who had children at a centre where the man worked or staff who may have worked with him and noticed particular behaviours,” she said.

“If you do have information, then we urge you to contact Crime Stoppers.”

At present, Brown remains in custody and is scheduled to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Sept. 15, 2025.