Childcare Worker's Son 'Abused Kids'
A CHILDCARE worker's son sexually abused 11 young children
hundreds of times, molesting up to two or three children
a day while his mother was supposed to be caring for them
in her home, a court has been told.
Melbourne's Whitehorse Council took three years to suspend
the contract childcare worker after first receiving
complaints about her son.
A 20-year-old man, who cannot be named, today reserved
his plea on 19 child sex offences allegedly committed
on children aged between three and 10 during an eight year period.
The alleged offences occurred in his mother's three rental
properties from July 1996 until August 2004.
Police interviewed 67 families during their investigation
and say the accused bribed children with Pokemon cards, gifts
and offered one boy $2 for sex, according to the brief of
evidence tendered to Melbourne Magistrates Court today.
Around October 1999, the accused played hide and seek with
an eight-year-old boy, lured him into the bathroom and had
anal sex with him.
The same thing happened several times to the boy's younger
brother, aged around six or seven, before his family moved away.
"He just says it happened every second day for almost the
entire time he was in care, which is a long time," Detective
Senior Constable Dave Bruce said in an interview with the accused.
"You were doing it ... to two or three kids every day."
Around December 2002, the accused - then aged 17 - asked a
five-year-old girl to copy the oral sex he was watching on the
pay TV pornography channel, which was on in his mother's
loungeroom.
"I just watched it for a little bit and she was just walking
around," he told police.
"I don't know, (I) just said `how's about you do that?"'
Now aged 20, the accused told police he started drinking aged
eight, was teased at school and was not an abuse victim himself.
He was a coach in a cricket program for children aged between
five and 10 and said he had tried to join the police force.
The accused said he had no reason for abusing his victims.
"I wish I had a reason, but I just don't have a reason," he told
police.
"Just `cos I was frustrated at school, drinking, you know, drugs
and (it) all piled up into one - one stupid thing.
"I'm sorry for what I've put them through. I'm sorry about
everything I've done.
"If I could take it, everything, all back, I would do it in
a second."
The accused told police his mother was unaware what he was
doing to the children.
The council received a complaint of a sexual nature against
the son of the contracted childcare worker, about July 2001,
according to the brief of evidence.
The woman complainant, who had two boys and a girl in care, told
police the council promised to follow up her complaint but the
family, who moved to regional Victoria six months later, heard
nothing more.
There was another complaint from a different family about nine
months later, but the council did not suspend the carer until
August 17, 2004.
The carer's son was aged between 11 and 19 when he allegedly
abused six boys and five girls - including three siblings - all
aged under 10 and most aged under eight.
The accused reserved his plea to 19 child sex charges, including
sexual penetration with a child aged under 16 and committing an
indecent act with a child aged under 16.
He indicated via his lawyer that he intended to plead guilty to
the offences that occurred after he turned 15-years-old.
Magistrate John Hardy ordered him to stand trial in the County
Court on February 8.
AAP (11-1-2006)
Melissa Jenkins
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