Cairns Court: Weipa business owner Bradley Allen Mcrae in court over 12 child sex charges
Detectives from Far North Child Protection and Investigation Unit have charged a Weipa businessman with further child sex offences.
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Detectives from Far North Child Protection and Investigation Unit (CPIU) have charged a Weipa man with further child sex offences as part of the ongoing Operation Uniform Kalahari.
Bradley Allen Mcrae, 46 was previously charged with two counts of rape, five counts of procuring a young person, one count of grooming a child, ten counts of supply dangerous drugs to a minor, and two counts each of indecent treatment of a child under 16, and unlawful carnal knowledge of a child under 16.
Mr Mcrae, who runs Weipa Asian Store, pleaded not guilty to all 21 charges and applied for bail.
In applying for bail, his lawyer Peter Haarsma told the court the “Crown’s case is not a strong case” and the “most serious case is supplying a child with methamphetamine”.
However, police prosecutor Sergeant Donna Sterling said the Crown’s case was strong and there was “corroborating evidence” in past interactions with the police “and this young child”.
Acting Magistrate Robert Spencer granted the 46-year-old defendant bail on the condition that he move from Weipa and live in Cairns with requirements to report to police.
He was also ordered to surrender his passport.
In a statement on Monday, police said that since Mcrae’s September arrest, his seized electronic devices had been forensically examined “and it will be alleged further offences have been identified”.
On Thursday, October 26, CPIU detectives executed a search warrant at the Mount Sheridan home he was bailed to and further charged Mr Mcrae with five counts of supply dangerous drugs to a minor under 16 years, ten counts of use carriage service to access child abuse material and one count of possess child abuse material.
CPIU detectives established Operation Uniform Kalahari in January 2022 to investigate the alleged grooming and exploitation of vulnerable young people in the Cairns area.
It will be alleged the youths were groomed, indecently assaulted and supplied with dangerous drugs including methylamphetamine.
To date, detectives have charged 11 men and two women with a total of 301 offences as part of Operation Uniform Kalahari with 54 child victims also coming forward.
“Anyone with information or who believes they or someone they know may have been impacted, are urged to come forward as investigations remain ongoing” the police said in a statement.
The matter will be heard again on November 24, 2023.
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Originally published as Cairns Court: Weipa business owner Bradley Allen Mcrae in court over 12 child sex charges
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