Childcare worker charged with 70 offences including rape

Victoria Police has announced that a man who worked at several childcare centres across Melbourne has been charged with more than 70 offences, including child rape.

The Victorian Health Department said that as a precaution, around 1,200 children have been recommended to get tested for possible infectious diseases.

It is contacting families who are believed to have been affected.

Charges

Joshua Brown, 26, was arrested on 12 May. This morning, Victoria Police held a press conference detailing his arrest.

The 70 charges relate to eight victims at a childcare centre in Point Cook in Melbourne between April 2022 and January 2023. The charges include child rape, attempted child rape, and producing child abuse material.

Police said the victims were aged between five months and two-years-old at the time of the alleged offences.

Police are also investigating evidence of an allegation at a second childcare centre in Essendon.

Victoria Police said that although the allegations are currently limited to one childcare centre, Brown did work at 20 childcare centres between 2017 and 2025.

Victoria’s Acting Commander Janet Stevenson said they “are not suggesting that the accused has offended against children in all these centres”.

Stevenson also revealed that this was a “proactive investigation” that did not start “through someone’s complaint”.

“We didn’t have a victim for some time,” she said.

Police did not reveal how they first became aware of the offending.

Families

Victoria Police said the families of the alleged eight victims were notified of the charges laid against Brown last week.

“As you can imagine, this was deeply distressing for the families to hear,” Acting Commander Stevenson said.

A letter was issued today to the families of all children who were enrolled at childcare centres during the time period Brown worked there.

“If you have not been contacted, then it’s highly unlikely that your child has been impacted,” Stevenson added.

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Possible Infection

The Victorian Health Department says it has contacted around 2,600 families who have attended childcare centres where the accused worked.

It has recommended about 1,200children “undergo testing for infectious diseases due to potential exposure risk”.

It said the potential infection can be treated with antibiotics.

Premier

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she is “sickened” by the allegations and said her “heart breaks for the families that are living every parent’s worst nightmare”.

“Every health and mental health support will be provided to these families... I do know that as a parent, this will be felt far beyond those immediate families that are affected.”

Allan announced the early childhood regulator will commence an investigation into the early childhood providers at which the accused worked.