The chilling moment kids of some of Sydney's most elite families were rocked by vile child abuse allegations
Hundreds of homes across the city were sent chilling letters from the principals of many of Sydney's most elite private schools.
Childcare worker David William James, it said, had worked at their children's school and was charged with making sex tapes and child abuse material in school toilets.
James himself is a former private schoolboy, who was a student at elite Knox Grammar on Sydney's leafy north shore.
He was subsequently employed there as an out of hours child care worker at his old school, where fees reach up to $80,000 a year.
But he had also worked in similar roles at after-hours childcare at St Andrew's Cathedral School ($63,000 a year), Barker College ($79,000 a year), and Ravenswood School for Girls ($56,000 a year).
In total, he worked in after-hours childcare at almost 60 different schools and locations across Sydney, in some of the city's wealthiest areas on the north shore and in the CBD, inner west and eastern suburbs.
Police charged him with 12 offences including nine counts of aggravated use of a child under 14 to make child abuse material, using a child under 14 to make child abuse material, and two counts of possessing child abuse material.
James, 26, is accused of standing behind primary school-aged boys using the urinal and sexually touching himself behind them.
He allegedly took explicit photos of ten children aged between five and six at out-of-school-hours care over three years between 2021 and 2024.
Police are now confident that any alleged offending was restricted to a handful of locations, including one where he worked for just a single day.
The six childcare centres where the alleged offending took place were: Willoughby Kids House (where he worked for one day), Helping Hands - St Ives Public School, Helping Hands – Lane Cove West, Pyrmont OSHC - City of Sydney, St Ives OSHC Centre - KIDZONE, and Barker College's OSHClub.
Australian Federal Police have sought to reassure the parents of pupils at the 52 other schools where he worked that they have nothing to worry about.
Nonetheless, many parents are left wondering whether further terrible allegations may yet emerge, even if James worked at their school's OSHC for just one day.
James worked at scores of out-of-school-hours centres with children and other providers also kept him employed on a casual basis.
Police allege offences occured at only six of the 58 OSHC Centres where he has worked over the last six years.
However, authorities have only just notified the other 52 out-of-hours school services where James worked between March 2018 and September 2024, leaving parents to question the emails they were sent by their school heads.
Australian Federal Police say they do not believe any alleged offending took place at those 52 other centres.
The list includes other elite private schools such as St Luke's Anglican Grammar School, Fort Street Selective High School and a fleet of Catholic primary schools.
Federal police only revealed the scale of its operation after a non publication order about identifying James was lifted in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court.
Junior Adventure Centres, which runs three of the centres where the alleged abuse is said to have taken place, issued a statement on the day news broke of James arrest.
It admited it was 'only just finding out details of alleged offences, with the Non-Publication Order (NPO) being lifted today.
'We fully understand how distressing this matter is, and we share the immense upset and concern surrounding it.
'We have been co-operating with police and doing all that we can to assist them in their investigation. We are now contacting all our parents at the centres the AFP has listed.'
Parents of student at St Andrew's Cathedral School were also alerted to the investigation, but with a more reassuring update.
'Mr David James, who was named in the media today, was assigned to our OOSHC for one shift, five or more years ago,' it read.
'There is no suggestion that the current charges against him relate to current or former students of St Andrew's Cathedral School.
'St Andrew's Cathedral School has been contacted by the Australian Federal Police today to advise us that our OOSHC service is NOT under investigation.'
Full list of places where alleged abuser David James worked
Artarmon Before and After School Care: Willoughby City Council - June 2019
Bales Park OOSH Services - December 2018
Beacon Hill Vacation Care: Northern Beaches Council - December 2018
Camp Australia: Artarmon - February - December 2022
Camp Australia: St Andrews Cathedral - June 2018
Camp Australia: St Luke's Grammar School - April 2018
Chatswood ASC & VC: Willoughby City Council - November 2018
Cromer Vacation Care: Northern Beaches Council - January 2020
Cubby House: Artarmon - June to August 2019
Forestville Vacation Care: Northern Beaches Council - July 2018 to April 2022
The Girls & Boys Brigade: Surry Hills - November 2020
Gowrie NSW Erskineville Outside of School Hours Care - June 2018 to February 2019
Gowrie NSW: North Sydney Community VC - April 2023
Helping Hands: Bourke Street - March 2019 to April 2024
Helping Hands: Lane Cove West - April 2018 to September 2024
Helping Hands: North Ryde - May 2018 to August 2023
Helping Hands: St Ives Park Public School - December 2023 to May 2024
Helping Hands: Willoughby Public School - April 2018 to December 2022
Hornsby South Before and After School Care - May 2018
Jigsaw: Anzac Park Public School - May 2018
KGV OSHC: City of Sydney - November 2018 to April 2022
KidsCo Australia: Virtual Holiday Program - July to August 2021
Knox Grammar High School - March 2018 to July 2020
Knox Grammar School OSHClub - May 2024
Manly Vale VC: Northern Beaches Council - April 2019 to July 2022
North Shore Coaching College - July 2023 to September 2024
OSHClub: Barker College - May 2018 to May 2024
OSHClub: Beaumont Road - May 2018 to April 2023
OSHClub: Fort Street - May 2018
OSHClub: Highfields - April to November 2018
OSHClub: Hornsby South - August 2018 to July 2023
OSHClub: Knox Grammar Preparatory - May 2018 to February 2020
OSHClub: Newington Lindfield - February 2020
OSHClub: Smalls Road - February 2022 to August 2023
Our Lady of Good Counsel OSHC: Forestville - August 2018 to March 2019
Our Lady of the Rosary OSHC: Waitara - October 2018
Primary OSHCare: Chatswood - September 2019 to March 2020
Primary OSHCare: Forestville - February 2021
Primary OSHCare: Frenchs Forest - September 2022
Primary OSHCare: Killarney Heights - January 2023
Primary OSHCare: Mowbray - March 2020 to May 2024
Primary OSHCare: St Ives - July 2021 to January 2024
Primary OSHCare: St Ives North - February to March 2024
Pyrmont OSHC: City of Sydney - October 2018 to July 2022
SCECS: OSHC Rose Bay - January to May 2023
St Kieran's OSHC: Manly Vale - May 2018 to February 2019
St Martin's Davidson OSHC - September 2018
St Mary's OOSH: Erskineville - December 2020
Stanmore OSHC Service: Inner West Council - July to August 2018
TeamKids: ANZAC Park Public School - February 2021 to June 2023
TheirCare: Ravenswood School for Girls - May 2023
TheirCare: St Andrew's Cathedral School - December 2020
Ultimo OSHC: City of Sydney - July 2018 to September 2024
Uniting OSHC: Brookvale - July 2023
West Lindfield Getaway Vacation Care: Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council - April 2018
Willoughby Kids House - July 2023
YMCA Bankstown City - July 2018
YMCA NSW: Lycée Condorcet - July to August 2023
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