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February 10, 2026 — 4:48pm
Accused childcare rapist Joshua Dale Brown is in discussions with the prosecution in the hope of resolving his case as he faces 156 charges and further delays in his proceedings.
The legal team representing the 27-year-old has asked for more time to analyse the 156 charges Brown now faces, telling the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court the sheer “volume” meant some material remained outstanding.
“We’re now at the stage of discussing resolution,” defence barrister Rishi Nathwani, KC said.
During the brief hearing in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, Nathwani failed to convince magistrate Donna Bakos to withhold from the media details of the charges Brown is facing, including new matters filed by police.
He argued that releasing material could endanger the safety of his client, who remains on remand in custody, and Brown’s family.
Releasing the charges also risked prejudicing ongoing discussions between Brown and the prosecution when some of the “enormous number” of charges may not end up before the court, Nathwani said.
The magistrate said the charge sheets were a matter of public record and granted their release in a redacted form, to protect the identities of the complainants and their families.
The prosecution flagged that a pseudonym order over their names could be made at a future hearing.
In December, a further 83 charges were laid against the 27-year-old, who stands accused of abusing children during his work in the child care sector.
At the time, police said their case against Brown related to four daycare centres in Melbourne’s west, including the first one he allegedly worked at just weeks after graduating from high school.
The discovery of a cache of child abuse material allegedly linked to Brown in May sparked an urgent police investigation and plunged Australia’s childcare sector into crisis as it emerged Brown had worked at 24 centres across Melbourne over more than eight years.
Charges filed in December
- Six counts of penetration of a child under 12
- Eight counts of producing child abuse material for use through a carriage service
- Twenty-three counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material
- Seven counts of using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material
- Seven counts of using a carriage service to cause child abuse material to be transmitted to self
- Two counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child under 16
- Eight counts of sexual assault of a child under 16
- Two counts of attempted sexual penetration of a child under 12
- Two counts of recklessly causing injury
- Two counts of common law assault
- Twelve counts of bestiality
- Reckless conduct endangering serious injury
- Encouraging a child under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity
- Two counts of possessing drug of dependence
Brown was first charged with abusing eight children at Point Cook daycare Creative Garden between April 2022 and January 2023. There, police allege he sent child abuse material to another man and recorded himself contaminating children’s food with bodily fluids, which prompted unprecedented STI testing for kids at affected centres.
The new charges included six counts of sexually penetrating a child under 12 and eight counts of producing child abuse material.
Brown is also facing charges of bestiality offences, not related to childcare.
Bakos ordered Brown to return to court on April 21.
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