A child who attended a daycare centre where a worker was subsequently charged with more than 70 child sex offences has been infected with a sexually transmitted disease.
Sources close to the investigation into childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown, 26, have revealed to Daily Mail Australia that a young child has since been diagnosed with gonorrhoea.
It is a disease that can affect various parts of the body, including the genitals, rectum, and throat.
In both males and females, infection is known to cause intense pain when urinating and is typically treated with antibiotics.
It is understood the child attended one of the Point Cook daycare facilities in Melbourne’s west where Brown had been employed.
Brown worked at a total of 23 childcare centres over an eight-year period between January 2017 and May 2025.
The parents of 2,000 children have been urged by authorities to have them tested for infectious diseases after Brown’s alleged offending was revealed on July 1.
Victorian Department of Health and Victoria Police refused to comment this week, but reiterated that they believe few children are at risk of being infected.
Joshua Dale Brown, 26, of Point Cook in Melbourne, interacted with children at 23 daycare centres where he worked. Brown has been charged with more than 70 child sex offences
‘Our Chief Health Officer last week stated: “…test results we’ve received to date as part of this investigation reaffirm that the risk is low”,’ a health department spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.
‘This advice remains unchanged. We are unable to comment on an individual’s private health information.’
On Tuesday, Brown fronted the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court where the court heard Victorian detectives still face a mammoth task to finalise their case against the alleged child molester.
Brown has engaged top Melbourne barrister Rishi Nathwani KC to head his defence.
In attempting to have his client’s charge sheets withheld from the media, Mr Nathwani revealed the case against his client remained very much ‘in flux’.
An affidavit supplied by detectives to the court said the investigation was incomplete and needed more time to compile the final brief of evidence against Brown.
‘Your honour has had the benefit of the affidavit which indicates that the police are working very hard,’ Mr Nathwani said.
‘There’s quite a lot for them to get through and as a consequence your honour sees there’s discussion there about potential further charges and I would say potential amendments, changes etc going forward (to the brief).
‘So at this stage it’s entirely premature, given how serious this is, and it could prejudice any future proceedings.
In December 2021, Brown’s partner posted a photo of the pair which featured the alleged paedophile grinning with pink and blue dyed hair
‘I ask your honour to resist it, not grant it at this stage and revisit it once we have the full brief of evidence when matters are properly known and I anticipate a different summary, with more detail and potentially different charges.’
Mr Nathwani also referred to a suppression order granted for the Erin Patterson trial, who was found guilty of multiple murders just weeks ago.
‘It’s the same sort of situation,’ he said.
‘It says material that could influence a jury – if this matter gets to a jury – the court should in these rare circumstances intervene.’
While no formal application for a suppression order was made, the informal application to hide the charges from the public was opposed by the media on the grounds the court had a mandate to open justice.
Magistrate Donna Bakos agreed, telling Mr Nathwani the charges were a matter of public record.
‘They’re filed and ordinarily the press are granted access to charge sheets … unless there is good reason, obviously, not to,’ she said.
Ms Bakos granted the media access to the charge sheets, which are expected to be emailed to news outlets sometime on Tuesday afternoon.
The alleged offending happened during Brown’s time at Creative Garden Early Learning Centre Point Cook (pictured), where he worked between October 2021 and February 2024
The magistrate further allowed the prosecution to delay filing its final brief of evidence until December, with the next court date set for February next year.
Co-accused Michael Simon Wilson, 36, who also faces charges related to child abuse material, will reappear in court in November.
While the pair are known to each other, according to court documents, it remains unclear how Wilson is linked to Brown.
It is understood Wilson’s alleged offending is not connected to childcare facilities or any of the children alleged to be victims in the other case.
Brown, from Point Cook, southwest of Melbourne, is facing charges including the sexual penetration of a child, producing child abuse material and recklessly contaminating goods to cause alarm or anxiety.
The alleged offending happened during his time at Creative Garden Early Learning Centre Point Cook, where he worked between October 2021 and February 2024.
In December 2021, Brown’s partner posted a photo of the pair which featured the alleged paedophile grinning with pink and blue dyed hair.
Pictures also emerged of a tattooed Brown interacting with children at one of the 20 daycare centres where he worked.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan weighed in on the Brown allegations
Police are also investigating allegations of other offending at a childcare centre in Essendon.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she was ‘sickened by these allegations of abuse’.
Liberal Shadow Minister for Education in Victoria Jess Wilson has criticised the State Government’s plan to conduct a rapid review into the childcare sector.
Victorian Children’s Commissioner told the ABC the Brown case would not be part of that investigation.
‘I think it’s deeply troubling,’ Ms Wilson told Melbourne’s 3AW radio station.
Ms Wilson said the case must be included to understand broader systemic failures.
Brown has remained in custody since his arrest in mid-May.
His Point Cook home was raided by police shortly after an investigation was launched earlier that same month.
He was not known to police before his arrest and had a valid Working With Children Check, which has since been cancelled.
