QUEENSLAND, Australia - he alleged leader of a paedophile ring has been charged with 104 child sex offences, including reports of abuse involving his own children, siblings and dogs.

The father, 39, who previously worked at a childcare centre, was arrested on Thursday in Townsville, north Queensland, Australia. Authorities have said the allegations occurred between 1995 and 2020, and involved 12 victims, made up of two males and 10 females, ranging from 18 months old to 16. One victim was believed to be an adult.

Detective Senior Sergeant David Miles, leading the investigation, said a girl, two, had been rescued from a home in Cairns earlier this week. She is allegedly among the victims, with Senior Sergeant Miles stating that she had been ‘passed around as a result of exchanging drugs’.

Among the man’s charges are multiple counts of rape, indecent treatment, bestiality, making and distributing child exploitation material and supplying dangerous drugs. The childcare centre where the man worked has been working closely with the investigation, but it is believed the majority of the alleged offending was against the man’s children.

Senior Sergeant Miles told how the suspect had allegedly targeted vulnerable women with young children. He said: ‘The use of the drugs was to bring the vulnerable people into the relationship and then to provide them with drugs to stupefy them to allow offences to take place.’ (FA)