Arabic version: المحكمة ترفع أمر كتمان الاسم؛ عامل في حضانة سيدني يُكشَف هويته
A court order protecting the identity of a Sydney childcare worker has been lifted, allowing police to name him as Hamish Tait, 35, who faces hundreds of criminal charges related to the alleged abuse of children.
According to ABC News, Tait now faces 329 offences, including 162 counts of producing child abuse material, 81 counts of filming a person engaged in a private act without consent and 24 counts of using a child under 14 years for the production of child abuse material.
The Australian Federal Police say the investigation, known as Operation Moonbi, involved the review and analysis of 2.4 million electronic files. Detectives allege they linked Tait to online activity in June 2025 involving a user uploading files depicting child abuse. Later that month, officers seized 25 electronic devices during a search of a Glossodia property; those devices were later analysed and allegedly found to contain child abuse material. Mr Tait was arrested in July 2025 and has been in custody since.
The AFP says Tait worked at or attended 62 early childhood centres in Sydney’s north-west, ran his own business and that the alleged offending occurred between 2009 and 2025 at five facilities. The agency has published information about his employment history on a website intended to help carers and parents identify whether their child may have been exposed and to provide details on support services and who to contact for further help.
Acting Commander Luke Needham told media the AFP has to date contacted 121 families in Australia and overseas as part of a victim identification process, and said “we allege this matter currently involves 136 victims.” He said 22 alleged victims have not yet been identified and that because the alleged offending spans many years some victims may now be adults. Acting Commander Needham also said the AFP had no evidence of any sexual assault and that investigators have evidence the material was shared overseas on three occasions.
Why this matters: the AFP described the alleged abuse as involving a person trusted to care for children and warned the abuse of that trust will have lifelong ramifications for victims and families. The non-publication order had been sought by the AFP to protect the integrity of the investigation and to complete the victim identification process.
What happens next: inquiries are continuing about who the material was shared with and investigators continue the victim identification process, including efforts to locate the 22 alleged victims who remain unidentified.
Related sections: Australia/استراليا | New South Wales | General | Social/إجتماعية
