Former Child Care Worker in Sydney Facing Over 300 Abuse Charges Is Identified

A former child care worker charged with more than 300 offenses in Australia involving the alleged abuse of more than 100 children has been named.

Hamish Tait, 35, was arrested last year at a home in Sydney, but his identity was suppressed by a court order as the police sought to identify and contact “impacted families.”

The order was lifted this week after The Sydney Morning Herald applied to the court for his name to be made public. The defendant sought to keep his name suppressed, arguing that his right to a fair trial could be jeopardized if his name was made public.

Judge Stuart Devine, in lifting the order, said he was not convinced that news reports about the allegations against Mr. Tait would prejudice a jury should the matter proceed to trial and that identifying his workplaces could help the police investigation, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The police have not identified the man.

The authorities began their investigation in June 2025, when they said the suspect uploaded a file online depicting child abuse.

The police said on Monday that they linked a 35-year-old man to the online activity and searched his home in Sydney’s north, where they seized electronic devices, some of which they said contained child abuse material.

The statement said that the man was charged with 329 offenses, including 162 counts of producing child abuse material and 18 counts of sexually touching a child under 10. He has been in custody since his arrest in July last year and is yet to enter a plea.

The authorities said the man worked at or attended 62 child care facilities between 2009 and 2025. During the 16-year period, he allegedly “committed multiple offenses against children” at five facilities, the police said in the statement. The police said one of the facilities was his own private business.

As part of the investigation into the abuse material, the authorities have contacted more than 121 families, both in Australia and overseas, “who have positively identified their child as being depicted in child abuse material,” Luke Needham, the acting commander of the Australian Federal Police, said on Monday at a news conference.

“We can now confirm 136 victims have been positively identified,” Mr. Needham said.

“Any allegation involving the abuse of children is confronting and horrific, especially when it involves someone trusted to care for them,” he added.

“The abuse of trust we allege has occurred is devastating and will have lifelong ramifications for victims and their families.”

The police have established a website listing the centers the man worked at and providing support material for victims.

This is the latest in a series of alleged child abuse cases at day care centers across the country that have prompted the Australian government to strengthen legislation, which includes restrictions on taking videos or photos of children on personal devices and mandating training for all staff and volunteers.

In 2024, Ashley Paul Griffith, a nursery-school worker, pleaded guilty to more than 300 charges of abusing and raping dozens of children. He was handed a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 27 years and is appealing the matter.