Arabic version: موظف في برنامج رعاية العطلات بالإقليم الشمالي الأسترالي متهم بعد الكشف عن دوره في مدرسة

A 40-year-old former holiday program worker in the greater Darwin region has been charged with child sex offences and had recently worked in classrooms at a Northern Territory public school, the ABC can reveal.

According to ABC News, the man was arrested by Northern Territory Police and charged with an indecent touching or act and sexual grooming of a child aged under 16. NT Police said the alleged offending occurred the week of his arrest on June 26. An email to parents seen by the ABC said the accused “was also employed at an NT government school” but did not name the school.

The NT Department of Education told the ABC it could not confirm whether parents and guardians at the school where the man had worked were informed of his connection to their child’s classroom. A school email said “the staff member involved is no longer working at the holiday program or any NT government school and Safe NT have been notified.” The department declined to say whether he had worked in more than one school, whether he was contracted to any school at the time of his alleged offending, or whether he had a history of complaints or breaches of care, and said “As the matter is before the courts, the department cannot comment further.”

Multiple sources told the ABC the accused had worked in a classroom role at a specific school in the Darwin area. The Northern Territory is the last remaining Australian jurisdiction in which the identities of alleged sex offenders are legally suppressed until they stand trial, and laws restricting details before an individual is committed for trial limit what can be publicly released while the matter is before the courts.

At his first hearing in Darwin Local Court on June 29, Judge Therese Austin said the former educator was alleged to have abused a “very young child” in his care. The court heard a “child forensic interview” with the alleged victim had detailed “very serious” allegations of sexualised contact while the accused was an educator at the school holiday program. Judge Austin refused bail, saying, “Given the age … of the complainant and the context in which the [alleged] offending has occurred, I’m not prepared to grant your client bail today,” and noted the Crown case appeared relatively strong. She said bail could be reconsidered after defence lawyers were given access to the police interview with the alleged victim.

What happens next: the man is due to appear again in court in August.

Related sections: Australia/استراليا | Northern Territory | General | Social/إجتماعية