Parents left in dark as second alleged pedophile’s link to scouts exposed

The mother of a child in a Scout group that worked with alleged pedophile Michael Simon Wilson’s radio club says parents still haven’t been told what his involvement was.

Michael Simon Wilson has been charged with raping a teenage boy.

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The mother of a child in a Scout group that worked with alleged pedophile Michael Simon Wilson’s radio club says parents still haven’t been told what his involvement was.

Mr Wilson, 36, has been charged with a range of sexual offences, including the rape of a teenager in Melbourne’s west, child abuse material and bestiality.

It’s believed the Hoppers Crossing man was known to alleged pedophile childcare worker Joshua Brown, who police charged with more than 70 child sex offences related to his time working at multiple centres across Melbourne.

Until recently, Mr Wilson was the president of Wyndham Amateur Radio Club, which operated out of a Scout hall and worked with children from Scout and Girl Guide groups as part of the annual Jamboree On the Air event in which young people from around the world connect via radio with the assistance of amateur clubs.

Speaking to The Australian, the parent of a current Scout who has been with the group for several years said it was the first she had heard about Mr Wilson’s involvement with the group’s JOTA program.

“This is the first I have heard about it. How do you think that makes me feel?” she said.

“I’m sorry but I have to go right now and have a conversation with my child.”

Wyndham Amateur Radio Club’s former president said on Thursday that while Mr Wilson would have been involved with Scout activities, “as far as I know, Michael has never been left alone with the kids”.

A spokeswoman from Scouts Victoria said: “We can confirm that the individual is not and has never been a member of Scouts Victoria and has no official association with Scouts.

“Approximately three years ago, the club supported a one-off scouting event day, Jamboree of the Air, where Scouts participated in international radio communication.

“We can’t confirm whether the individual attended that event. This day was fully supervised and conducted in accordance with Scouts Victoria’s strict Child Safe policies.”

Girl Guides Victoria did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Police said on Friday they were still working to confirm how many childcare centres Mr Brown – who was known to Mr Wilson – worked at.

A spokeswoman confirmed that investigators are “continuing to work through further material provided to police over the past few days by childcare centres in relation to Brown’s employment history”.

“All of the childcare providers are co-operating fully with police on this matter.”

The charges against Mr Brown include recklessly contaminating goods to cause alarm or anxiety – a charge relating to allegations he placed bodily fluids in food. The alleged offending occurred over multiple years, with the parents of 1200 children now being urged to test for sexually transmitted disease.