Former Families SA worker Shannon Grant McCoole admits to raft of child sex offences against children in his care
A FORMER Families SA worker who has admitted to a raft of child sex offences against at least seven children in his care — one of them as young as 18 months old — can now be identified.
A FORMER Families SA worker who has admitted to a raft of child sex offences against at least seven children in his care — one of them as young as 18 months old — can now be identified.
Shannon Grant McCoole, 32, appeared by video link in the Adelaide Magistrates Court today.
Prosecutors withdrew 10 allegations against McCoole and replaced them with 18 fresh charges.
McCoole pleaded guilty to three counts of persistent sexual exploitation of a child, three aggravated counts of indecent assault, two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 14 and one count of gross indecency of a person aged under 16.
He further pleaded guilty to seven aggravated counts of producing child pornography, one aggravated count of disseminating child pornography and one aggravated count of possessing child pornography.
The offences happened between January 28, 2011, and June 11, 2014 at various locations.
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The court heard one of those offences involved a girl as young as 18 months old.
By pleading guilty to all offences, the statutory suppression on McCoole’s identity is now lifted.
McCoole’s lawyers had applied for their client’s identity to remain suppressed, but this submission was withdrawn this afternoon.
McCoole was remanded in custody to face the District Court for arraignment next month.
Outside court, a father of one of the victims said he was relieved the matter would not proceed to trial.
“I just want to get it over and done with and know that he stays in jail for a long time and stop these people from doing these things to children,” he said.
“That would be the best outcome. It would make a statement to all the other people that are doing it.”
The father said his family was trying to come to terms with horrific offending.
“I was just trying to think of the kids at home on school holidays ... keeping my mind occupied and not getting upset,” he said.
“Step by step we slowly go through the grieving. It was only one (child) that was there but three were affected.”