Detectives have issued more than 80 additional charges against alleged Melbourne childcare paedophile Joshua Dale Brown.
Warning: This story contains details of alleged child sex offences which may distress some audience members.
Health officials say no children will require further testing as a result of the new charges and no new childcare centres have been identified as being of concern.
Sexual assault support lines:1800 Respect National Helpline: 1800 737 732Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114Full Stop Australia: 1800 385 578Bravehearts: counselling and support for survivors of child sexual abuse: 1800 272 831Child Wise: counselling provider: 1800 991 099
However, police say the new charges relate to an additional four alleged victims identified as part of their investigation into the 27-year-old, who was charged with 70 offences earlier in the year.
They say some of the new charges also relate to the initial eight alleged victims identified earlier this year.
The families of the four newly identified alleged victims have been notified and have been offered support.
Mr Brown was this morning charged with 83 additional offences including six counts of penetrating a child under 12, eight counts of producing child abuse material and 23 counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material.
Other charges include:
Two counts of sexual activity in the presence of a childEight counts of sexual assault of a child under 16Two counts of attempted sexual penetration of a child under 12Two counts of common law assaultTwelve counts of bestialityReckless conduct endangering serious injuryEncouraging a child under 16 to engage in sexual activityTwo counts of possessing a drug of dependence
Victoria Police said the bestiality offences are part of a separate investigation unrelated to any childcare centres.
The additional four alleged victims identified by police were placed at Nino Early Learning Adventures in Point Cook in March 2019, Only About Children at Williamstown in December 2020 and February 2021 and Aussie Kindies Early Learning Centre in Keilor in February 2025.
Affinity Education Group, which operates Aussie Kindies Early Learning Centre said it was “deeply distressed by the further charges laid today by Victorian Police against former employee Joshua Brown.”
“One incident is one too many. No child or family should ever have to face this,” a spokesperson for Affinity Group said.
“Since this matter arose in July this year, we have been and will continue to cooperate with Victorian Police to support their investigation.”
The Victorian government has encouraged anyone directly affected to contact local specialist support services listed on its investigation website.
Accused now facing 156 charges
About 2,000 children were asked to undergo health screening after it was revealed that Mr Brown had been arrested in July.
The former childcare worker had been charged with more than 70 offences in relation to alleged offending against eight young children at Creative Garden Early Learning Centre between April 2022 and January 2023.
Joshua Dale Brown now faces more than 150 charges. (Facebook)
In July, health authorities said they had taken a “cautious” approach in recommending 1,200 children linked to the case be tested for potential infectious diseases.
Police at the time said Mr Brown had worked at 20 childcare centres between January 2017 and May 2025.
The government announced a series of reforms to the troubled childcare sector the day after the charges were revealed, including creating a register of childcare workers.
It also launched a rapid review which later found childcare watchdogs were failing to keep children safe due to poor information sharing, legal constraint and underfunding.Â
Regulatory changes have also strengthened the Working with Children Check (WWCC) scheme and made it easier for checks to be revoked or suspended.
In total, Mr Brown has now been charged with 156 offences.
He is due to face court in February next year.
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