Secrecy order stops school from alerting parents of worker’s child grooming, abuse material charges

A Victorian school has been gagged from alerting parents and students about an accused pedophile’s sex crime charges after he was allegedly busted grooming a child for abuse material while he worked there.

The name and workplace of an alleged pedophile who worked at a school have been suppressed to stop the school alerting parents. Picture: Stock image

A Victorian school has been gagged from alerting parents and students of an accused pedophile who worked there to “protect” the man while he was facing court.

The identity of the 49-year-old Springvale man was suppressed by the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday after his lawyers successfully argued secrecy was “necessary” to stop the school he worked at from alerting parents to his charges of child abuse.

The man is charged with 46 charges relating to child abuse matrial and grooming offences, with one child complainant involved, the court heard.

Court documents reveal the man is accused of grooming a child under 16 to solicit child abuse material and sexual acts between August and November of 2024.

A school has been gagged from alerting parents and students of an accused pedo who worked there.

It’s understood the complainant did not attend the school he worked at.

The man’s lawyers had argued the order was “necessary” to “protect” him by stopping the school community from being made aware of the charges.

“This is not media publication that this is necessarily directed to, it was publication by the school that [the man] used to work for in respect of a release to parents and students,” his lawyer said.

The court heard the defence had reached “an agreed position” with the Office of Public Prosecutions to seek a suppression order, with the Crown not opposing a suppression order of six months.

The man’s name and the name of the school he worked at were suppressed.

The man will face a committal hearing later this year.