How the investigation of alleged rapist Michael Simon Wilson led police to accused childcare predator Joshua Brown

The alleged rapist of a teenage boy — the investigation of whom led police to accused childcare sex offender Joshua Brown — has been unmasked.

The investigation of a teenager’s rape at Hoppers Crossing led police to accused childcare centre sex offender Joshua Brown.

The Herald Sun can reveal the crucial breakthrough which resulted in the charging of Mr Brown was unearthed in a sexual crimes squad inquiry into his associate, Michael Simon Wilson.

Mr Wilson, 36, of Hoppers Crossing, who is on remand over charges that he raped the boy on April 16, can now be unmasked, with his face finally made public on Thursday afternoon.

Michael Simon Wilson has been charged with raping a teenage boy.

He will appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on September 15.

A former colleague of Mr Wilson described him as strange. He said Mr Wilson is the father to a young girl.

Just over three weeks after the Hoppers Crossing rape, detectives involved in that matter uncovered evidence of the alleged child care atrocities committed by Mr Brown.

The 26-year-old from Point Cook was arrested on May 12 and charged with 70 offences, including the sexual abuse of eight children aged from five months to two-years-old.

There are fears of other victims from the childcare centres he worked at across Melbourne.

The police move to swoop on Mr Brown unfolded in an extraordinary operation on the weekend of May 10 and 11 after the Hoppers Crossing case’s investigators made their discovery.

Urgent work on Mr Brown began immediately.

An investigation into the rape of a teenager led police to alleged childcare sex offender Joshua Brown. Picture Supplied

Despite the heinous nature of the alleged crimes, there was no time to quietly build their case while their suspect relaxed, as is the case in many sex crimes inquiries.

One source said evidentiary considerations had to run second to the removal of risk.

What they knew meant Mr Brown could not be allowed to return to work with children the following week.

Investigators arrested him on the Monday morning of May 12, four days after his last shift at Milestones Early Learning in Bundoora the previous Thursday.

The Herald Sun has been told as many as 100 officers – many of them with children of their own – had been involved in various elements of the nightmare probe over seven weeks.

Officers from the joint anti-child exploitation team and Victoria Police cyber detectives were brought in.

Some of the investigators were recalled from time off work because their specialist skills were urgently needed.

Members have, at times, worked for more than a fortnight straight on the Brown inquiry.

There had been the complex and harrowing task of identifying suspected victims and contacting their “next-level devastated” parents and guardians.

“It has been an emotion bomb,” one police source said.

“We pulled out all stops. It hasn’t stopped since then.”

As many as 100 officers were involved in the probe into alleged sex abuser Joshua Brown. Picture Supplied

It was decided that work to identify the suspected victims needed to continue away from the public eye so Victoria Police and the Office of Public Prosecutions sought a suppression order on reporting of the case after Mr Brown’s arrest.

That was lifted on Tuesday morning, 90 minutes before a high-level press conference revealed the extent of the allegations.

The Herald Sun understands no other claims against other child care workers were uncovered in the Brown investigation.

High-level briefings were held with senior politicians days before the situation went public.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said he was notified of Mr Brown’s alleged offending via the state government more than a week ago.

Mr Clare then brought the extremely sensitive issue to a meeting with several state education ministers on June 27.

The parents of the Point Cook man’s eight alleged victims were notified by police last week.

A suppression order prohibiting Mr Brown’s name from being made public was then lifted at 8am on Tuesday.

More than 2600 families were then contacted by authorities – urging 1200 children to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

Over 2600 families were contacted by authorities. Picture Supplied

“I was informed about this just over a week ago by the Victorian Government. It’s the reason I put this on the agenda for Education Ministers when we met last Friday,” he told ABC National Radio on Wednesday morning.

Mr Clare said he has a personal friend who received the dreaded alert from the state’s Health Department on Tuesday.

When asked if the parents of children who had been in Mr Brown’s care should have been notified earlier, Mr Clare said it was a delicate and complex situation.

He said the integrity of the painstaking police investigation was also crucial.

“I’m certain that the Victorian Government took the steps that they needed to take with police and with the relevant authorities to make sure that when they advised parents and did so as soon as they possibly could, they were in a position to provide the necessary advice and support for parents,” he added.

Originally published as How the investigation of alleged rapist Michael Simon Wilson led police to accused childcare predator Joshua Brown