Grim new details of childcare worker's alleged abuse emerge after months of secrecy - and some of it is just too vile to publish
Court papers reveal David William James is alleged to have photographed and filmed boys as young as five in varying states of undress while using a urinal.
Other charges relate to the private school graduate from Artarmon on Sydney 's north shore performing a sex act and shooting video while standing behind a child.
James attended Knox Grammar at Wahroonga, where he excelled at music, until 2017 and worked part-time at almost 60 child care facilities between March 2018 and September 2024.
The 26-year-old's identity had been kept secret for nine months until a suppression order was lifted in Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday.
James is charged with nine counts of aggravated use of a child to make child abuse material, four counts of possessing abuse data or material and one of using a child to make abuse material.
He was employed for at least one shift at 58 out-of-school-hours (OOSH) centres but investigators have allegedly only found evidence of crimes committed against children at six of the places he worked.
Those centres were: OSHClub at Barker College, St Ives OSHC Centre - Kidzone, Pyrmont OSHC, Willoughby Kids House, and Helping Hands services at St Ives Park Public School and Lane Cove West.
The charges relate to acts allegedly committed on the North Shore at Artarmon, Waitara, Willoughby, St Ives and Lane Cove West, as well as Moore Park in the eastern suburbs.
OOSH care can include undertaking excursions and other activities, which would explain some of the alleged offences having been committed outside the centres.
James worked in 'heavily supervised' assistant roles at Knox Grammar between March 2018 and July 2020 and at the school's OSHClub in May 2024.
A Knox spokesperson said the AFP had confirmed finding no connection between the charges he is now facing and where he went to school.
'We have been instructed multiple times by the Australian Federal Police that Knox is not part of their investigation,' the spokesperson said.
James was initially charged last September with refusing to grant Australian Federal Police access to his phone and was arrested again a month later when he was hit with more serious charges.
A non-publication order suppressing any detail about the original alleged offence has also now expired.
Court papers seen by the Daily Mail state James refused to provide the passcodes to his iPhone and laptop in defiance of a warrant on September 26 at Artarmon.
Police said James was accredited to work with children but that certification had since been removed.
James did not appear in person or via audio-video link on Thursday when Deputy Chief Magistrate Michael Antrum lifted a non-publication order on his name.
AFP acting Assistant Commissioner Brett James said an investigation into James began after the detection of child abuse material on the dark web in June 2024.
'Today, court orders were lifted, so we can now talk about this investigation,' acting Assistant Commissioner James said on Thursday.
'The non-publication order issued by the court was to allow our investigators the time to carefully work through all the available evidence to establish a full picture of the alleged offending.'
Acting Assistant Commissioner James said police had examined 142,000 files on the alleged paedophile's devices which amounted to 18.9GB of material.
James was a probationary police constable between December 2021 and September 2022.
He failed to finish his probation period and resigned from the NSW Police Force in May 2023 after a stint working in a civilian capacity.
NSW Police admitted on Thursday that James was rejected by the force because he had failed to disclose his part-time childcare employment.
'During his employment, the man failed to seek the required approval to engage in secondary employment, and as such, police were unaware of his concurrent role in the childcare sector,' a police spokesperson said.
'We acknowledge the seriousness of the allegations and condemn any behaviour that places our community's most vulnerable members at risk.'
It was revealed last month, before James's name could be published, that 1,200 letters had been sent to parents and carers who may have crossed paths with him.
The letters were sent as part of process led by NSW Police and the AFP under the Joint Child Protection Response Program.
Investigators asked parents and carers who received the letter to read it carefully, including instructions for contacting a hotline with any relevant concerns.
Police were working with NSW Health, NSW Department of Communities and Justice, NSW Department of Education and Training and the Office of the Children's Guardian.
In a joint statement released on June 19, the AFP and NSW Police said James' alleged offending involved a 'very small number of children'.
James has been refused bail since October and is next due to face court on August 21.
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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