Sydney Former Police Officer Charged With Child Abuse Material Across Six Centres

David James, a 26-year-old childcare worker in Sydney and former NSW police officer, has been publicly named after a court lifted a year-long suppression order. He faces 13 charges related to producing and possessing child abuse material involving 10 children aged five and six, allegedly created during his employment at six out-of-school-hours care services across Sydney's northern suburbs between 2021 and 2024. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) began investigating after James refused to provide access to his phone, which upon seizure revealed evidence of child abuse material. Authorities have notified around 1,200 families linked to the facilities where James worked, though they believe only a small number of children were affected. James has been in custody since October 2024 following multiple arrests, including for refusing to provide passcodes to his devices, and remains a focus of ongoing investigations. Despite having worked at 52 childcare services since 2019, there is no evidence of offending beyond the six identified locations.