A childcare worker, Edwina Ling, has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to 80 counts of common assault and two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm. The assaults took place at a childcare centre in Injinoo, on Cape York, over three days in late August and early September 2024. CCTV footage captured the attacks, and one 13-month-old boy was assaulted 55 times. The centre operated outside the National Quality Framework. Parents want accountability to extend to the organisation that ran the centre and to regulators.
An ABC investigation has revealed the close ties between accused barrister Mark Dennis and children's charity Sunrise Cambodia, where he was chairman from 2018 to 2020. Dennis was charged with possessing child abuse material in January but was found dead at his home before entering a plea. Former staff allege inappropriate behaviour by Dennis, which was not reported to Sunrise. Sunrise says police told it no current or former child has been identified as a victim. Former staff and documents also raise concerns about the charity's child protection record.
Victoria's teaching regulator conducted surprise inspections at Fitzroy Community School's two Melbourne campuses, examining teacher registrations and student supervision. The Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) exercised rare powers to search premises and seize documents. This follows ABC reports of historical abuse allegations and recent staff suspensions. The school's enrolment has reportedly declined significantly. The federal education department is monitoring the situation, while the state government has been approached for comment.
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A 22-year-old Canberra woman has been released on conditional bail after allegedly grooming and indecently abusing a young teenage boy. ACT Policing alleges she assaulted, groomed and gave alcohol to the boy, who is under 16, between May and July this year. She is also alleged to have used a phone or online messaging to procure him for sexual activity. She was charged at the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday and the matter was adjourned to 17 November.
Dennis John McKenna, convicted of sexually abusing 29 boys at a Katanning college hostel, will likely be released from prison on November 17. Prosecutor Brett Tooker told the WA Supreme Court that McKenna should be declared a high-risk serious offender for up to four years after release. McKenna's lawyer, Joel Grinceri, said his client welcomed the proposed orders, including ankle monitoring. Kaye Anderson, whose two sons were abused by McKenna and have since died, said he should remain behind bars for life. Justice Marcus Solomon will hand down his decision on November 4.
A 51-year-old man has been sentenced to five years' jail, with three years' non-parole, by the ACT Supreme Court for sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl. The man, who is not named to protect the girl's identity, met her at a Canberra shopping centre in 2019 and later raped her. The girl became pregnant and chose to keep the child. Chief Justice Lucy McCallum described the man's conduct as opportunistic and predatory. He was found guilty of sexual intercourse without consent by a jury earlier this year. He will be eligible for parole in July 2029.
The owner of an Illawarra homewares store has been denied bail after police allegedly found 2,500 child abuse material files on his devices. Calvin Gabriel Gorsuch, 27, faced court after his Woonona home was raided. He is charged with using a carriage service to make available child abuse material and one count of possession. Gorsuch will remain behind bars, with the matter returning to court in December.
A Perth music teacher, David Hicks, 34, has been charged with 10 additional offences after police identified two more alleged victims. The charges include indecently dealing with a child over 13 and under 16, producing child exploitation material and using a listening device to record private conversations. Police allege that child exploitation material was found on electronic devices when they raided his home in Perth's north in September. Mr Hicks taught music at private schools across Perth and tutored outside school hours. He is due to appear in the Joondalup Magistrates Court on November 9.
A 27-year-old Canberra woman has been granted bail after being charged with four counts of sexual intercourse with a young person and one count of grooming. Police allege the offences involved a 15-year-old boy between September and October 2026, and that a video of the pair having sex was found. The woman was arrested the same day the allegations were reported, and appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 14 October. Magistrate James Lawton granted bail, with conditions, and adjourned the matter to 11 November. No pleas have been entered. The allegations have not been proven.
Sexual assault and family-violence-related assault involving Australian children rose sharply between 2014 and 2024, according to a University of Sydney study published Wednesday. Lead author Lucy Grummitt said the findings were the opposite of what researchers expected and called the situation a crisis point. Sexual assault against boys aged 10 to 17 rose by 60 per cent over the decade, and against girls in the same age group by 51 per cent. Researchers are urging federal and state governments to invest in prevention and child protection systems.
Child sexual assault and family violence-related assaults against children have risen across Australia over the past decade, according to new University of Sydney research. The study found sexual assault against girls aged 10 to 17 rose by 51 per cent over the decade, and against boys of that age by 60 per cent. Lead author Lucy Grummitt called the situation a crisis point, noting the steepest increases came in the last three to five years.
A Queensland court has approved the extradition of convicted paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith, 46, to New South Wales to face 202 further charges. Griffith was sentenced in October to a life term with a minimum of 27 years after pleading guilty to 307 offences against 65 children. A magistrate ordered the extradition at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday. No transfer date has been set for security reasons. Griffith will be held at a remand centre in Sydney.
Former childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith will be extradited from Queensland to New South Wales to face more than 200 additional charges. The charges include sexual intercourse with children under 10 and producing child abuse material. Griffith was sentenced to life imprisonment in Queensland last year, with a non-parole period of 27 years. He pleaded guilty in 2024 to more than 300 offences against 69 girls. His bid to reduce the Queensland non-parole period was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in June. NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley confirmed the transfer.
A woman has pleaded guilty in the ACT Supreme Court to persistently sexually abusing a young teenage boy over about five months in 2025. Jessica May Nakkan, now 31, entered the plea on Tuesday, 13 October, to a single charge. Her other charges will no longer proceed. The prosecution and defence have yet to agree on the facts of the case. Justice Jon White ordered a pre-sentence report and continued her bail. Sentencing is set to begin on 6 April 2027.
A magistrate in Brisbane has granted an application to extradite Ashley Paul Griffith to New South Wales. Griffith, 48, was jailed for life in Queensland in November 2024 after pleading guilty to more than 300 child sexual offences. He has also been charged in NSW with 180 child sexual offences allegedly committed against 23 girls at a Sydney childcare centre between 2014 and 2017. Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the move would allow Griffith to face the victims of other states. Magistrate Belinda Merrin did not set a date for the transfer. Griffith's lawyers did not oppose the application.
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Childcare paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith will be extradited from Queensland to New South Wales to stand trial on additional charges. Griffith is serving a life sentence in Queensland after admitting offences against 69 girls at early learning centres. NSW Local Court records show he faces 202 charges relating to children. A Brisbane magistrate accepted the NSW application, which Griffith's lawyers did not oppose. No date has been set, but NSW Police say arrangements are being made for his transfer.
A 46-year-old Warwick man has been charged with 18 offences over alleged historical sexual assaults in Brisbane. Police allege the offences were committed against a teenage girl known to him between 2013 and 2018. Investigators arrested the man at a campsite in Taroom on 10 October. The charges include rape, indecent treatment of children under 16 and grooming. He was refused police bail and is expected to appear in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on 12 October. Investigations are continuing. Detective Senior Sergeant Derek Harris praised the victim-survivor for coming forward and said support services are available.
A 28-year-old Sydney resident now faces two charges after Australian Federal Police executed a search warrant at a Rydalmere residence. The operation followed US reports of child abuse material being uploaded to an online platform. Officers confiscated multiple devices containing explicit content involving both real and animated minors. The accused is scheduled to appear in Burwood Local Court. Investigations, including material analysis, continue.
A woman has won a $461,046 civil case against her childhood abuser after cross-examining him in court. Judge Gregory Sirtles found Rex Thomas Osbourne sexually assaulted her in Parkes between 1986 and 1987. The woman represented herself and was awarded damages for psychiatric injuries, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. She also settled a separate claim against the NSW government for $150,000.
