Bedsheet design led cops to charge former NSW child care worker with 1623 sex abuse offences

To catch who police say is Australia’s worst paedophile, police looked at sickening child porn videos on the dark web. The big break came when a sharp-eyed detective zoomed in on the background.

NSW Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said the charges were “horrific”. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Distinctive designs on childcare centre bed sheets were the key to bringing down the man accused of being Australia’s worst ever paedophile, who police allege filmed himself raping more than 90 children across NSW, Queensland and overseas.

The 45-year-old man, who cannot be named because of legal restrictions in Queensland, is facing a total of 1623 charges for the horrific abuse he allegedly carried out on pre-pubescent girls who were meant to be under his care.

The man was originally arrested last August and charged by the Australian Federal Police with two counts of making child exploitation material, and one count of using a carriage service for child abuse material, before the additional charges were announced on Tuesday at a joint press conference with NSW and Queensland Police.

In total it will be alleged the former childcare centre worker abused 91 children, including more than 100 rapes between 2007 and 2022.

The man was in his 20s when he allegedly began his attacks, all of them on pre-pubescent girls living in NSW, Queensland and overseas.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald and AFP Assistant Commissioner Cyber Command Justine Gough hold a press conference after the former childcare worker was charged with 1623 abuse offences. Picture Mohammad Alfares

The Daily Telegraph can reveal incredible detail about how police tracked down the man from the disgusting videos they will allege were posted onto the dark web.

Police sources said it was Queensland Police detectives who spotted the videos and posted them on a global notice board, hoping the AFP or another state could help.

But one detective’s decision to zoom in and take screenshots of the unique design of bedsheets on the children’s beds in the videos gave investigators their big break.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Cyber Command Justine Gough said ongoing support was being provided to the child victims and their parents. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Those screenshots were sent to linen manufacturers, one of who replied to confirm they had supplied sheets to a daycare centre — which had just a single male worker, the man now in custody.

Before that, those centres had been completely unaware of the alleged predatory acts of the man.

The AFP will allege the man recorded the abuse while working at one childcare centre in Sydney between 2014 and 2017, 10 centres in Brisbane between 2007 and 2013 and 2018 to 2022, and an overseas location in 2013.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said officers worked on the investigation with a heavy heart but did not give up on their work to identify the alleged offender and stop further abuse.

NSW Police State Crime Command’s Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald confirmed the man would face child sex abuse related charges in NSW once his matters in Queensland were finalised.

“Today we announce that the NSW Police Force have issued a warrant for this man’s arrest in our home state, where he faces 180 child sex abuse charges against 23 victims aged one to five,” Assistant Commissioner Fitzgerald said.

“Once this man faces the AFP charges in Queensland, we will be seeking to extradite him to Sydney to face the full force of the law in NSW.

“This is one of the most horrific cases of alleged child abuse our detectives have seen, and we will continue to relentlessly pursue this matter on behalf of the 23 victims of NSW, who remain our number one priority.

‘HORRIFIC’

Asst Comm Fitzgerald said this was “one of the most horrific child abuse cases” he had seen in his time with the police force.

“It’s out of the realm of any person’s imagination,” he said.

“We will continue to relentlessly pursue this matter on behalf of the 23 victims of NSW, who remain our number one priority.”

The Daily Telegraph understands one Sydney childcare centre where the man allegedly abused 23 children was part of a chain, with the man working at another of its centres later in Queensland.

Sources said the operator of the Sydney centre was shocked when told of the allegations and had not suspected the behaviour at the time.

It is understood that after the allegations were made this week, the operator reached out to the staff who had worked with him at the centre.

The man also worked at other childcare centres, but the AFP said it was confident the man did not offend there.

All of the Australian children recorded in the alleged child abuse material have been informed of the investigation, with some now aged over 18 years.

AFP Northern Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough said the AFP and other agencies were providing ongoing support to parents and children.

“I can assure members of the Australian public that if you have not been contacted by law enforcement, it is extremely unlikely your child was allegedly offended against by the man,” Assistant Commissioner Gough said.

“The AFP is highly-confident that all the Australian children who were recorded in the alleged child abuse material have been identified.”

She also said the man had “all the qualifications required to work in childcare centres.”

The man will appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on August 21.

NSW Police have issued a first instance warrant for the man’s future extradition.