Mum haunted by alleged childcare monster’s private babysitting offer for three-year-old daughter

Accused pedophile Joshua Brown offered to privately babysit a three-year-old girl who attended Creative Garden childcare, a mother haunted by the memory has revealed.

Childcare worker Joshua Brown offered private babysitting services to the family of a little girl multiple times while employed at the centre where he allegedly committed 70 child sexual abuse offences.

The Herald Sun can reveal the alleged pedophile offered to look after a three-year-old girl – who attended Creative Garden Point Cook in 2022 – one-on-one while her mother was in hospital.

While the girl’s mum, Melody Glaister, never accepted the verbal invitations, she said it “haunts” her now because she came close to letting Mr Brown inside her home.

“He offered to do private babysitting services on more than one occasion,” she told the Herald Sun.

“My husband and I actually considered accepting that offer which haunts us to this day, so thank goodness we didn’t, but it does make me wonder whether he offered that to anyone else.”

Ms Glaister is the mother of a child who attended Creative Garden childcare between 2019 and early 2024 where Joshua Brown worked. Picture: David Caird

Ms Glaister’s daughter – now aged six – attended the centre from 2019 to early 2024, crossing paths with Mr Brown who started his employment there in October 2021.

“He was actually my daughter’s favourite educator at that centre,” she said.

“He was bubbly and always wanted to be around the children, which at the time I thought was a good quality.”

“We bumped into each other earlier this year while I was getting coffee and we had a chat. He was interested in how (my daughter) was going.”

“I’ve had so many conversations with him, (the charges) came as a complete shock.”

Ms Glaister’s daughter was one of 1200 children who had to be tested for sexually transmitted infections last week after Mr Brown was charged with 70 offences relating to child abuse, including allegedly using his bodily fluids to tamper with food.

Alleged pedophile Joshua Brown in 2019. Picture: Facebook

The anguished mother said it was “horrendous” Mr Brown’s alleged actions were the reason for her daughter’s first blood test.

“Seeing what was written on those blood tests and (that she was being) tested for sexually transmitted infections – it was horrendous,” Ms Glaister said.

“Also having to explain to her as well that she needed to undergo that kind of testing … that was also something that no parent should ever have to go through.”

Shine Lawyers chief Jodie Willey said the law firm had seen a “staggering response” from families impacted by the allegations.

“We continue to receive dozens of inquiries from parents demanding justice and accountability for the failings which allowed this alleged offending to be carried out for so many years,” she said.

“The heartbreaking reality is thousands of families will spend the rest of their lives living with a painful uncertainty around what may or may not have happened to their child.”

The girl attended Creative Garden Point Cook from 2019 to 2024.

Meanwhile, childcare centres who employed Mr Brown have come under fire for deleting photos of him from parent communication apps, with one parent claiming they were told the images were removed because they “promote (alleged) pedophilia”.

The parent – who said pictures of their children with Mr Brown were among those to be deleted – criticised childcare provider Affinity Education’s rationale for the move as “highly inappropriate and alarming”.

Arnold Thomas & Becker Principal Lawyer Jodie Harris said childcare centres were removing “crucial information” by deleting past photos of Mr Brown.

“For some parents, this has been the only way they have been able to find out if their children had been in contact with Mr Brown,” she said.

In an email sent to parents, Affinity Education chief Tim Hickey told parents some images had been removed from a parent portal at the request of families. He said all images had been shared with police, and archived rather than permanently deleted from the portal.

Arnold Thomas & Becker will hold an information session for impacted families on July 10 in Point Cook, with those interested in attending encouraged to register online.