A former Sydney childcare worker is facing an additional 115 child abuse charges, bringing the total number of alleged offences against him to 444 in a case involving more than 100 alleged victims.

The Australian Federal Police announced the new charges on Friday against 35-year-old Hamish Tait, who is accused of abusing children over a 16-year period while working at dozens of childcare centres across Sydney.

Police said the latest charges relate to children who attended five early childhood education facilities in Sydney’s north-west between 2009 and 2025. Authorities stressed that the new charges do not involve any additional alleged victims.

Tait now faces 444 charges linked to alleged offending at some of the 62 childcare centres where he worked during his career. Police said they are aware of 145 alleged victims, while another 13 victims have yet to be identified.

AFP Acting Commander Luke Needham previously said the alleged victims were children of preschool or primary school age at the time of the alleged offences.

The latest charges include 105 counts of producing child abuse material and four counts of possessing child abuse material. Police also charged Tait with one count of allegedly carrying out a sexual act with a child under 10 and five counts involving the alleged filming of a person engaged in a private act in circumstances of aggravation.

Tait was arrested in July 2025 and has remained in custody. During the investigation, police seized almost 2.5 million files from electronic devices at his home.

He was initially charged with eight offences relating to online child abuse material. Further charges were laid in April, June and July 2026, bringing the total to 444.

The case is scheduled to return to Parramatta Local Court on October 8.

Police said the investigation and process of identifying alleged victims are continuing, and appealed to anyone with relevant information to contact authorities.

The alleged abuse is said to have occurred across multiple childcare centres over many years, prompting renewed discussion about safeguards within Australia’s early childhood education sector.

A recent Senate inquiry into child safety recommended changes including updated working-with-children checks, the use of CCTV monitoring where appropriate, greater powers for employers to suspend staff where potential risks are identified, and tougher minimum penalties for child abusers.

Tait has not been convicted of the allegations, and the charges will be dealt with through the court process.

SOURCE: Nine, Samantha Lock, September 25, 2026.