Two Kendall men face child sex charges
A former childcare worker allegedly committed 46 acts of alleged abuse at a Mid-North Coast centre, a police dossier reveals.
Mid-North Coast
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Two men at the centre of one of the nation’s largest alleged child sex exploitation cases allegedly committed sexual abuse against 28 children, 16 of whom one of the men allegedly assaulted 46 times at a Mid-North Coast childcare centre.
The alleged depraved acts of sexual violence and indecent assault against the children are part of a significant police case against the two Kendall men who were arrested by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers in June as part of Operation Arkstone.
It is alleged that one of the men engaged in offending spanning more than nine years, at least one of which was when he was a worker at the childcare centre.
About 16 children ranging in ages between two and five are alleged to have been indecently assaulted 46 times by the man, who is facing 303 charges. More than 100 relate to the alleged use of a child under 14 years of age to make child abuse material.
On at least one occasion in 2018 police will allege that he procured a child for the purpose of producing child abuse material. It is alleged that the child, whom was under 10 years of age, performed a physical sexual which was allegedly filmed.
It is one of 46 incidents which are alleged to have occurred at the day care centre.
Many more, police allege, happened while children were either under the care of the men as babysitters.
Parents and carers of all children enrolled at the childcare centre have been notified of the investigation taking place.
At least six suburbs have been named in court documents as locations that the alleged offending occurred.
They include Old Bar, Taree, Bidwell and Doonside – among others.
One of the children was just 11 months old at the time of the alleged offending.
The pair were due to face court at Port Macquarie today, however the matter was adjourned to December 17 where it is understood a specialist NSW Department of Public Prosecution’s unit will take carriage of the case due to the significant and intricate nature of the details within it.
Police today confirmed that there are still more people to be interviewed before a brief of evidence will be served on that day.
It is not yet known whether more charges will be added to the currently combined number of 427.
One man is facing more than 300 charges across 20 separate offence categories – the largest being his alleged use of children under 14 years of age to make child abuse material.
There are some 60 more charges relating to the indecent assault of a person under 16 years of age, and 50 more in relation to allegedly having sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years of age.
The other is facing 124 charges across 10 offence categories. More than 63 relate to having sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years of age.
Some of the children involved share the same surnames.
The two co-accused came to the attention of police who conducted raids at their Kendall property as part of Operation Arkstone in June.
The operation was launched earlier this year after a tip-off from the United States’ National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children to the AFP’s Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).
Electronic items, including a laptop, were also seized during the raids – which occurred just 1.3 kilometres, a few streets, from the Benaroon Drive house where William Tyrrell vanished from in September 2014.
A number of other men from NSW, Queensland and Western Australia have previously been charged as part of Operation Arkstone.
To date 14 men have been arrested on 828 charges of child exploitation, and bestiality charges related to four animals.
“Police will allege Operation Arkstone revealed a network of abuse, where the alleged offenders in the forums encouraged and emboldened each other to engage in acts of depravity and abuse of children,” AFP Acting Commander Child Protection Operations Christopher Woods told News Corp Australia.
Operation Arkstone investigators also identified links through the online forums to alleged child sex offenders residing in Europe, Asia, United States and Canada, and New Zealand, with 146 international referrals made. Homeland Security in the US has arrested three people so far.
AFP Acting Commander Child Protection Operations Christopher Woods said the scale of offending uncovered in the Arkstone network was unprecedented in an AFP-led operation.
“No child should be subjected to abuse and violence from people who hold high positions of trust in their lives, whether it be a family member, child care worker or soccer coach,” Mr Woods said.
“These men allegedly produced child abuse material for the depraved pleasure of their peers with absolutely no thought to the lasting effects their actions would have on these children.”
Both men will be required to appear via audiovisual link at Port Macquarie Local Court on December 17.
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