Former ABC veteran cameraman Trevor James Scroop charged with more than 40 child abuse charges

A veteran media employee who also spent time working with children is facing more than 40 child abuse and assault charges spanning a 34-year period.

Trevor Scroop was a former ABC freelance camera operator and has faced court on child sex charges. Picture: Facebook

A veteran South Australian media employee who also spent time working with children is facing more than 40 child abuse and assault charges against thirty victims, spanning a 34-year period.

The Advertiser can now reveal veteran ABC cameraman Trevor James Scroop has been in custody since March last year after allegedly abusing children between 1989 and 2023.

For more than a year, Mr Scroop has faced court hearings from custody, but the details of his alleged offending have been the subject of a suppression order – an order which was put in place to protect the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Investigating officers said the suppression was in place because the number of alleged victims was continuing to increase as the matter progressed through the courts.

Trevor James Scroop.

However, in the District Court on Wednesday morning, after Mr Scroop, 65 of Hillcrest, pleaded not guilty to the myriad of charges, Judge Kristopher Handshin revoked the order upon request from prosecutors.

That means the allegations against Mr Scroop can now be reported for the first time.

Scroop has been charged with 12 counts of sexual abuse of a child, eight counts of indecent assault, three counts of aggravated indecent assault, one count of gross indecency, six counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, four counts of assault and two counts of aggravated assault.

He is further charged with one count of attempted aggravated inciting or procuring a child to commit an indecent act, one count of aggravated inciting or procuring a child to commit an indecent act, one count of aggravated compelled sexual manipulation, one count of aggravated procuring a child for sexual activity, one count of attempted indecent assault, and three counts of possessing child exploitation material.

The 65-year-old is in custody for more than 40 charges.

According to court records, the charges span from August 1989 and August 2023, meaning he was still employed by the ABC when the alleged offending started.

Mr Scroop first appeared in court in September 2023 and was granted bail the following month.

That bail was however revoked the following March, with court records showing he had “failed to comply” with conditions.

In previous hearings, the court heard Mr Scroop had been working with dozens of Indigenous children from the Northern Territory.

It further heard he had an arrangement in place to look after the young children at his home in Adelaide so they could go to school.

According to his LinkedIn, Mr Scroop worked for the ABC as a “senior cameraman” from August 1982, until he was made redundant in 2011.

In 2012, he went on to work as a freelance cameraman, sharing on the social media platform that he had covered the AFL, netball and SANFL for Channel 7.
A joint SA Police and Northern Territory police effort, Taskforce Artemis was launched in October 2023 and was responsible for charging him.

SA Police on Wednesday said Mr Scroop was arrested for historical child abuse offences that had been committed in South Australia against the thirty victims.

South Australian Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Crime Service Catherine Hilliard said the operation had been “complex and incredibly confronting”.

“SA Police have been working closely with the Northern Territory Police Force as we conduct investigations into this offending,” she said.

“The privacy and safety of the alleged victims remains our number one priority. We have been providing updates, along with support, to everyone affected.”

It is understood no other person has been charged in relation to the alleged offending.