Joshua Dale Brown: Police seek more time to prepare case against alleged Melbourne childcare abuser
Joshua Dale Brown, 26, was charged in May with more than 70 offences including sexual activity in presence of a child under 16, sexual assault of a child under 16 and possessing child abuse material.
He has yet to enter pleas to the charges.
Mr Brown had been remanded in custody and was expected to appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court on September 15.
But high-profile barrister Rishi Nathwani SC appeared in court on Tuesday as prosecutors requested additional time to prepare a hand-up brief of their evidence.
Magistrate Donna Bakos approved the request for police to Mr Brown's lawyers by a deadline of December 4.
His case was made public on July 1 after a suppression order was lifted, with police alleging Mr Brown abused eight children between the ages of five months and two years old.
Since then, police have established Brown worked at 23 childcare centres across Melbourne between January 2017 and May 2025, urging parents and carers to have 2000 children tested for sexually transmitted infections.
On July 15, Victoria Police said establishing Mr Brown's work history had been 'extremely complex' due to childcare providers not having centralised records.
The force said the investigation remains 'ongoing' and 'active', expecting to release further updates in the coming weeks.
In a statement, Acting Commander of Victoria Police's Crime Command Janet Stevenson said the investigation remains the 'highest priority' for police.
'We are working through a large amount of information that has been provided to us,' she said.
'I understand there are people who will be frustrated and I want to reinforce that this is a continually evolving and changing situation.
'I also want to remind people, especially those struggling with this news, that there is a number of support services readily available for impacted parties and I strongly encourage people to seek those out.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

News.com.au
14 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Family's emotional plea after horror fatal crash in Wantirna South, Melbourne
The parents of a two-year-old boy who was injured in a horror collision that killed his grandparents have shared their heartache and issued an emotional plea for change. The boy and his grandparents were struck by an out-of-control Toyota Yaris that mounted a kerb in Wantirna South, in Melbourne's east, on July 10. The 59-year-old woma died at the scene, and the 60-year-old man later died in hospital. Their grandson was treated in hospital before being released. The driver of the Toyota, a 91-year-old woman, has been released by police without charge. Speaking to 7NEWS, the boy's mother Vicky said his grandparents had recently moved to Australia to help look after him. 'I totally lost the ones who loved me the most in the world,' she said. 'I was just thinking, 'Why (are) you always pushing me to have a child, I don't want it', but now I deeply and truly understand. 'My son Carl - because of him, I need to keep going.' Carl's parents are now calling for the state government to amend laws concerning elderly drivers. 'Victorian legislation is way behind,' Vicky's partner Ethan said. 'You can't guarantee everyone can still drive when they are 70, 80, 90 years old.' A Victoria Police spokeswoman confirmed to NewsWire the 91-year-old was interviewed by Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives on Friday. 'She was released pending further inquiries.' Victoria has no elderly-age tests for driving. The driver at Wantirna South suffered minor injuries and it is unclear if she had a medical event at the time. Drivers aged over 85 in NSW require an annual medical test, and must do a driving test every two years. In Queensland, drivers aged over 75 need to carry a current medical certificate when they are behind the wheel. Over the age of 80 in WA, drivers need to have a medical assessment each year before they renew their licence. In the wake of the fatal crash, Acting Premier Ben Carroll said the incident put retesting elderly drivers back on the agenda. 'We do need to look at this,' he said earlier this month. 'In relation to people who are elderly and driving, I think it is a valid question … around testing. 'Having said that, there will be a thorough investigation underway and we will wait for that to run its course.'

ABC News
15 minutes ago
- ABC News
Townsville businesses speak on public drunkenness as Queensland government looks to re-criminalise it
The Queensland government has flagged re-criminalising public drunkenness in a bid to curb what it says is a surge in antisocial behaviour, less than a year after it was decriminalised. Queensland became the final state in Australia to decriminalise public drunkenness, more than 30 years after it was first recommended by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Premier David Crisafulli this week held a forum in the largest city in north Queensland — Townsville — a city he once described as crime ground-zero to listen to community concerns. A walk down Townsville's main street paints a nuanced picture, with views mixed among business operators and community leaders on how best to make the CBD safer and more attractive to visitors. It's a quiet weekday afternoon when foot traffic should be busy. Shop owner Lucy Downes said she now worked seven days a week because it was harder to find staff wanting to work in the CBD. "It is not a family-friendly environment when you have people brawling and yelling," Ms Downes said. "Especially when there's substance abuse involved. That can be intimidating and scary for staff to witness." Ms Downes backed the state government's move to possibly re-criminalise public drunkenness, but said harsh punishment was not the solution to substance abuse. "It is a very complicated problem … it's good to look towards the bigger picture," she said. When public drunkenness was decriminalised last year, it brought Queensland into line with every other state and territory. The legislative change allowed for an intoxicated person to be taken to a place of safety. But, walking into a meeting with community and business leaders, Mr Crisafulli said it was a retrograde step. "We certainly won't be ruling [re-criminalising] out." Queensland Police statistics show that while the total number of crimes in Townsville has risen steadily over the past 10 years, good order offences, including public nuisance offences, have dropped. Business owners stressed the CBD was still a good place to visit and that police had been working hard recently to keep order. Pauline Jackson said she felt safe at the newsagency she had run on Townsville's Flinders Street for 18 years. Ms Jackson said criminalising public drunkenness would discourage people from poor behaviour. She said more consistent policing was needed. "As soon as you drop it off, antisocial behaviour comes back," she said. "It does keep people away." Marg Cox is often greeted by the smell of urine on her morning walk to her job as the operator of a sandwich shop on Flinders Street. Ms Cox said practical solutions were the best approach. "They need more public toilets in the city; the closest toilet is over the bridge, not in the area," Ms Cox said. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service principal legal officer Greg Shadbolt warned any move to bring back public intoxication laws would target the state's most marginalised people. The service said 2020–2021 statistics demonstrated Queensland Police were 11 times more likely to pursue public order offences against Indigenous people compared to the rest of the population. "If the park is your home and you're not doing anything wrong, other than just drinking, you could potentially be arrested," he said. "If anyone does make a nuisance of themselves in the public arena, police can still arrest them for a whole plethora of charges." Birrigubba elder and academic Gracelyn Smallwood said outlawing public drunkenness would be a backward step, risking more Aboriginal deaths in custody. "I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Professor Smallwood said. Professor Smallwood said alcohol abuse should never be dealt with by locking people up. "All the organisations, Indigenous and non-Indigenous that are receiving money for drunkenness and homelessness should all be collaborating," she said. Additional consultation sessions are being planned for Townsville, Maryborough, Cairns and Mackay.

ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
'Disheartened' AFL star Jy Farrar calls for completion of Halls Creek oval repairs
AFL player Jy Farrar has come out in support of the Halls Creek community and says it is "ridiculous" that the local football oval is unusable. Farrar's comments adds to mounting pressure on the Shire of Halls Creek over its incomplete football oval upgrade. The prolonged closure of the oval, once dubbed the region's "footy factory," has sparked concern from the Gold Coast Suns AFL player who got his start training on the Kimberley oval. After months of delays to planned works, the grounds have been left unsafe and unusable for two years. Farrar grew up in Halls Creek and said there was "no way" he would have made it to the AFL without the oval or the community surrounding it. "Halls Creek, being a footy factory, we can't even do that at the moment." The oval has launched the careers of more than 10 AFL and AFLW players over the past decade. Farrar said it hurt knowing the oval had been abandoned for so long. "It's ridiculous. With the amount of players from Halls Creek lucky enough to get on a list it's disheartening, it's a shame," he said. "We want a safe area where people can come and enjoy football, and hopefully bring joy back to the town that's been missing for the last two years." Beyond sport, the oval has also been a hub of activity and a connection point for people. "Youth crime is rising. I just think because there is no footy, kids are looking at other high adrenaline stuff to do." The delays are "unconscionable" according to former WA premier and member of the previously named North Province, Peter Dowding. "[The state government] tipped half a million [dollars] into the Halls Creek council's coffers and they've not completed the job, and that's a great shame," he said. The WA government committed $595,758 to the project in 2023, as well as an additional $285,000 through the Club Night Lights Program. Mr Dowding said young people in remote areas needed activities to participate in. "If you take away those opportunities you end up increasing levels of lawlessness," he said. "I'm not saying that's applying to everybody, but it's part of the problem when young people have got nothing to do." Mr Dowding said roll-on turf could be a "viable alternative" if the grass could not be grown. "Look at Optus oval, every week there's a roll-on turf being put down there to make sure the surface is adequate," he said. WA sport minister Rita Saffioti said she had instructed the department to work with the local shire to ensure upgrades to the oval could be delivered as soon as "practically possible". "I have been made aware of the delayed progress which I understand is due to previous contractor disputes, under the work commissioned by the shire," she said. "It's disappointing as the works were key in improving the grounds to the benefit of the broader community, which is why the WA government made a contribution." Shire of Halls Creek CEO Sue Leonard said in a statement she understood the concerns raised by the minister regarding delays. "We share the minister's disappointment. Unfortunately, earlier contractor disputes did impact timelines," she said. "We have since taken decisive steps to address these issues and move the project forward. "We welcome the minister's commitment to working collaboratively with the shire, and we remain focused on delivering the upgrades as soon as practically possible for the benefit of the Halls Creek community."