73-year-old man accused of sexually abusing 29 victims over two decades
A 73-year-old man has been arrested and charged with 55 offences, including multiple counts of rape and sexual abuse of children, following an investigation into historical abuse at a government care facility. The man is accused of sexually abusing 29 people over more than two decades, many of them children at the time.
A 73-year-old man from Adelaide's western suburbs has been arrested and charged with 55 offences, including multiple counts of rape and sexual abuse of children, following an investigation into historical abuse at a government care facility.
The man, who police allege sexually abused 29 people over more than two decades, many of them children at the time, had access to the now-closed Magill Training Centre but was not a government employee. Police said many of the victims were children when the alleged offences occurred.
Charges against the man include multiple counts of rape, unlawful sexual intercourse, sexual abuse of a child, gross indecency and indecent assault. He was arrested this morning by detectives from Task Force Libero, which was established to investigate allegations of historical child sexual abuse linked to government care facilities, including Magill Training Centre.
Assistant Commissioner Stuart McLean said the investigation was ongoing and complex. "We'll be alleging today this man had access to the Magill Training Centre — however, he was not an employee of the centre nor was he a government employee," he said.
"The nature of the accused's work will be the subject of the matters before the court today and application for suppression orders, so I'm not in a position to elaborate."
The Magill Training Centre, which was opened in 1967 and closed in 2012, was the subject of allegations of abuse. Police said the man was expected to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court today.
Assistant Commissioner McLean said the matter demonstrated SA Police's commitment to investigating abuse allegations regardless of the passage of time. "The investigations are ongoing and complex but I do anticipate further arrests," he said.
"I am very proud of the work of the team at Task Force Libero. This is a significant body of work, a complex, protracted investigation, and their investigative effort has led us to a position today where we say we have sufficient evidence to bring the matter before the court."