Senior public servant and alleged paedophile syndicate member Stewart Iain Berry charged with six further child sex charges
A senior public servant – and accused paedophile syndicate member – has been hit with six new charges over the alleged three-year abuse of a child.
Police & Courts
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A senior public servant accused of taking part in an online paedophile syndicate has been charged with yet more offending – including abusing a child for a three-year period.
Stewart Iain Berry was scheduled to face the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday and enter his pleas to hidden camera allegations relating to both him and his husband.
Instead, prosecutors filed a fresh set of charges with the court, accusing him of having committed further offending around the state.
They alleged Mr Berry had maintained an unlawful sexual relationship with a child between November 2017 and November 2020 across Adelaide’s northern suburbs.
They further alleged he had incited a child to commit an indecent act, and committed two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 17, during that time.
Finally, they charged Mr Berry with two further counts of possessing child exploitation material at both his Salisbury Park and Port Lincoln homes.
Mr Berry, 37, of Salisbury Park, and his husband Mathew Campbell, 38, of Salisbury Park, were jointly charged with child exploitation offences.
Those charges arose from investigations into the online syndicate led by Australia’s worst-ever child sex offender, Jadd William Brooker.
Prosecutors alleged the duo installed hidden cameras in their home to film children – Mr Campbell pleaded not guilty and will stand trial in the District Court.
Mr Berry, a senior Correctional Services officer, had previously flagged his intent to broker a plea bargain with prosecutors.
On Tuesday, however, Mr Berry appeared in court without a lawyer and explained his counsel was unwell.
Magistrate Simon Smart noted the six new charges that had been filed, and did not oppose adjourning both sets of alleged offending until Mr Berry’s lawyer was available.
He remanded Mr Berry on continuing bail to face court again in June, when he will be required to enter pleas to the original set of charges.
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