David McCorriston charged with child sex offences, brother Warren pleads guilty to unrelated charges

The brother of a man who pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of three women has been charged by the same high profile strike force on unrelated child sex allegations.

A man has appeared in court charged with 13 child sex offences while his brother faced sentencing for unrelated charges two floors up.

David Allen McCorriston, 56, did not enter a plea or apply for bail in his first appearance at Newcastle Local Court on Thursday.

He did not speak as a lawyer made arrangements on his behalf.

McCorriston, from Belmont, was taken into custody by Strike Force Arapaima detectives on Wednesday, and charged in relation to the alleged sexual assault of two boys between 1987 and 2007.

David McCorriston has been charged with child sex offences. Picture: Facebook.

The charges include six counts of sexual intercourse with a person aged between 10 and 16; four counts of committing an indecent act (person under authority); two counts of sexual assault/indecent assault (person under authority) and one count of aggravated indecent assault of a person under 16 years old.

McCorriston will remain behind bars ahead of his next appearance in Belmont Local Court on Monday.

The allegations came to light as the strike force investigated his older brother for unrelated charges.

Warren John McCorriston, 60, was extradited from Queensland in January last year and charged with 28 offences relating to the assaults and rape of three women in the Hunter between 1980 and 1999.

He pleaded guilty to five of those charges involving all three women and was scheduled for sentencing in Newcastle District Court on Thursday.

Strike Force Arapaima was set up two years ago to investigate the suspicious disappearances of Amanda Robinson and Robyn Hickie in 1979 and Gordana Kotevski in 1994.

No one has been charged with any offences relating to the disappearances and suspected murders of the girls and The Newcastle News does not suggest either Warren or David McCorriston was involved, or that David McCorriston was in any way involved in his brother‘s offending.

The strike force is continuing.

Two McCorriston brothers appeared in Newcastle Court House on Thursday. Picture: Amy Ziniak.

EARLIER:

By Dan Proudman, June 2

Detectives have arrested a man on child sex offences – the second brother to be charged by a long-running strike force originally set up to investigate the disappearance and suspected murders of three Lake Macquarie teenagers.

David Allen McCorriston, a 56-year-old younger brother of confessed sex offender Warren John McCorriston, was taken into custody by Strike Force Arapaima detectives on Wednesday.

He was later charged with 13 child sex offences relating to two boys between 1987 and 2007.

Warren McCorriston pleaded guilty to sexual assault

The charges include six counts of sexual intercourse with a person aged between 10 and 16; four counts of committing an indecent act (person under authority); two counts of sexual assault/indecent assault (person under authority) and one count of aggravated indecent assault of a person under 16 years old.

Police say the allegations against David McCorriston were levelled as Strike Force Arapaima detectives were investigating Warren McCorriston on separate and unrelated allegations.

Warren McCorriston, 60, was extradited from Queensland in January last year by the same Strike Force Arapaima detectives and charged with 28 offences relating to the assaults and rape of three women in the Hunter between 1980 and 1999.

He pleaded guilty to five of those charges involving all three women, which included inflict actual bodily harm with intent to have sexual intercourse with a victim; sexual assault inflict actual bodily harm; sexual assault knowing no consent given; maliciously inflict actual bodily harm and common assault.

His sentence hearing is due in Newcastle District Court on Thursday, possibly at the same time his younger brother faces a bail hearing in Newcastle Local Court.

Strike Force Arapaima was established two years ago to investigate the suspicious disappearances of Amanda Robinson and Robyn Hickie in 1979 and Gordana Kotevski in 1994.

No one has been charged with any offences relating to the disappearances and suspected murders of the girls and The Newcastle News does not suggest David McCorriston was involved.

The strike force is continuing.