Sex abuse investigation nets second man known to alleged childcare rapist

Warning: Graphic and distressing content

A second man has been charged with dozens of sex crimes against children, including rape, as part of a major investigation that also uncovered the separate abuse allegations at a Melbourne childcare centre.

The accusations against Michael Simon Wilson, which have not been publicly revealed before, are not related to any childcare facilities and involve different alleged victims to those identified in the case against former childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown.

Joshua Brown pictured at a childcare centre where he worked in Essendon from February until days before his arrest in May.

Wilson and Brown are known to each other – although their exact connection is unclear – and both were charged as a result of information obtained by detectives from the sex crimes squad that led to a police raid on Brown’s house and his arrest in mid-May.

Court records show Wilson, 36, from Hoppers Crossing, is due to appear in court in September on the same day as Brown to face 45 charges, including rape and possession of child abuse material.

Police confirmed some of the charges related to the alleged sexual assault of a teenage boy in Hoppers Crossing in April and the subsequent investigation.

He lived alone but had been active on dating websites, on which he spoke of recently leaving a long-term relationship.

He had helped run an amateur hobby club until abruptly leaving two months ago, fellow members said.

One former colleague from Wilson’s time working in waste management in Melbourne described him as “a bit strange”, but “alright”.

Wilson’s phone was off, and his immediate family did not answer calls from this masthead.

Victoria Police and the state government announced on Tuesday that Brown, 26, had been charged with 70 counts related to abuse he allegedly perpetrated against eight child victims, some as young as five months, at the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023.

Brown has worked at 20 childcare centres since starting in the industry in 2017, and more than 1200 children are being tested for sexually transmitted diseases amid allegations that Brown could have exposed them to STIs.

Detectives are also probing Brown’s time as an educator at Essendon Papilio Childcare Centre, where he had worked from February until just before his arrest on May 12.

When police raided his house in May, the 26-year-old had no criminal record and held a valid working with children check.

No other childcare workers are suspected of being involved in the alleged abuse and police have said they did not believe abuse took place at all centres where Brown worked. So far, identified victims are between five months and two years old.

The discovery of child abuse material allegedly in Brown’s possession has mobilised a police and Health Department response over the past few weeks as officials raced to identify victims, inform affected families and launch a large child-testing regimen.

One of the charges against Brown is that he recklessly contaminated goods to cause alarm or anxiety – relating to allegations he added bodily fluids to children’s food.

On Tuesday, Victoria Police took the rare step of naming Brown to ensure parents were informed about the situation, but have said they cannot comment further on the Wilson case.

The Victorian government has ordered the early childhood regulator to investigate the conduct of the childcare operators for which Brown worked.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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