Man with 51 charges alleging abuse of 11 children tried to vary bail to attend school event

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to alleged child abuse.

A man accused of abusing 11 children over more than a decade has failed in his attempt to vary his bail conditions so he could attend a school event to support his stepchild.

He faces 51 charges accusing him of sexually, indecently or physically abusing 11 children aged between 11 and 16 over many years.

The alleged victims include his biological children and his sister.

It was not immediately clear what all of his charges are now, but when he faced allegations from seven people in the ACT Magistrates Court earlier this year, the charges included incest, indecency, capturing visual data and assault.

In the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday (11 December), the court heard some of the allegations accuse him of touching the breasts or buttocks of children while other adults were nearby.

He is also accused of taking inappropriate photos, commenting on girls’ bodies and putting his genitals on a child’s head while they were asleep.

One of the bail conditions for the man, who legally can’t be named but is now aged in his 40s, was that he not contact his stepchildren, who have not made allegations about him.

He sought a bail variation in the Supreme Court on Wednesday because he wanted to attend an event at a primary school to support a stepchild, as well as spend Christmas Day with his partner and his stepchildren.

When the man’s partner testified, she said she had known him for years and that “I don’t believe that he is a threat to my children”.

“Obviously, I will keep an eye on him,” she said.

She also said she didn’t believe the allegations.

“We all have our own opinions. I do not believe they are true,” she said.

The man’s lawyer, David Bloomfield from Legal Aid, said his client would be surrounded by other adults if he attended the school event, so there would be little chance of offending.

He also said a number of other adults would be present at the Christmas celebration, which would be held at a public place like a park.

However, prosecutor Trent Hickey argued the man posed “an unacceptable risk”.

“[The alleged offending] speaks to a person who is opportunistic when the opportunity presents itself,” he said.

“The risk outweighs the desire for him to attend [the school event].”

Chief Justice Lucy McCallum said she could not see offending taking place at the event.

However, she said what was alleged in court documents “paints a picture” of “a person who is very good at manipulating people around him”.

She said while the man was presumed innocent, she was concerned about the “catastrophic consequences” of any further alleged offending.

“There’s a large number of children making very similar allegations,” the chief justice said.

The bail variations were refused and the matter was listed for an arraignment in January 2025.

If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT 02 6280 0900, and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call Triple Zero.