Ex-daycare worker accused of abusing three young children, trial hears

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to alleged child abuse.

A former daycare worker is accused of indecently touching one three-year-old and two four-year-olds in 2022.

Jurors in the ACT Supreme Court trial for Muhammad Ali, which began on Tuesday (13 June), heard he had been stood down from his job at the daycare centre when the allegations, which he denies, came to light.

Prosecutor Trent Hickey said last year, when one of the four-year-olds was picked up from the centre, he told his mother he’d had a bad day and alleged “Ali” was being mean to him and his friends and had touched his genitals while he was outside.

The child said the alleged act had made him feel “sad”, Mr Hickey said.

The mother took the claims to the daycare centre and its director spoke to Mr Ali to hear his side of the story.

He allegedly laughed when told about the allegations and said the boy had been upset and had bitten him.

The boy’s interview with a police officer, recorded in 2022, was later played to jurors in which he was asked about what happened.

“He pinched me on the doodle and it hurted me,” the boy alleged.

“I don’t know why.

“It made me feel bad so I bited him on the arm.”

Under questioning from defence barrister James Sabharwal in another recorded interview, the boy said Mr Ali told him he was going to tell his mother about him and that was when he had bitten him.

Meanwhile, the mother of the three-year-old thought her daughter had been acting strange and thought she saw that her genitals were red and swollen, but at the time, the girl told her she’d received these marks when she fell over in the playground.

Later, this mother heard about the allegations made by the four-year-old and asked her child if anyone had touched her genitals. The girl said yes, alleging it was Mr Ali and claimed he’d told her to say she’d fallen in the playground.

The girl also alleged Mr Ali had touched another four-year-old boy on the genitals too.

However, when police interviewed this boy and asked him if anyone had touched him that way, he said no.

Also, during the girl’s evidence for the court, she eventually said Mr Ali hadn’t touched this boy, but Mr Hickey said he would speak more about that later in the trial.

The prosecutor said the issue for the jurors to decide was whether or not they were satisfied the alleged offences occurred.

Mr Ali, aged in his late 20s, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of committing an act of indecency.

The trial continues before Justice Belinda Baker.