How an alleged rapist led cops to Australia's alleged childcare monster - as secret details are revealed
- Michael Simon Wilson is accused of child sex offences
- He is linked to alleged daycare grub Joshua Brown
- READ: Family album snaps that reveal how accused childcare monster grew up
A man charged with rape, bestiality and child abuse offences unwittingly helped police nab alleged daycare monster Joshua Brown.
Michael Simon Wilson, 36, first faced court in July charged with 45 offences including possessing and transmitting child abuse material, rape and bestiality.
The former waste management worker has since been charged in a separate case with multiple counts of rape, stalking and unlawful imprisonment.
On Tuesday, a court-imposed gag order on the allegations against WIlson was lifted, revealing that 'information' found on Wilson's devices led police to Brown.
The Daily Mail can now reveal Wilson was alleged to have kept journals about his activities, which he allegedly maintained in jail following his arrest.
The journals allegedly included claims about Brown. It is understood these journals were found by prison staff, who handed them over to Victoria Police for investigation.
Wilson has been behind bars since April after being accused of raping a teenage boy in Hoppers Crossing, in Melbourne’s south-west, who police say he met online.
The alleged sex offender is currently caged within the walls of the Melbourne Assessment Prison where he is being kept in isolation for his own protection.
Michael Simon Wilson, 36, faced Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link from prison on October 14 as his lawyer launched an application for a suppression order over his case.
Wilson had been fighting to suppress the details of the new case but lost his bid on Tuesday.
He had argued that his right to a fair trial would be affected by his alleged link to Brown.
Brown has been charged with more than 70 offences related to his alleged abuse of eight children in his care between April 2022 and January 2023.
Wilson is not charged with any childcare-related offending.
His lawyer Heather Anderson claimed Wilson and Brown were not linked and were not co-accused as she applied to suppress his case from media reporting.
She argued there was a risk that Wilson would not receive a fair jury trial if he continued to be tied to Brown.
'No doubt there will continue to be media interest regarding that person, the allegations made against that person are unprecedented and something that has and will continue to attract media attention - they're charges that are unlikely to be forgotten,' Ms Anderson said previously.
Prosecutor Pierce Russell opposed a suppression application, adding there was a link between the two men.
Wilson first faced court in July charged with 45 offences including possessing and transmitting child abuse material, rape and bestiality.
He labelled Brown's case 'unprecedented and notorious'.
'The link between them is an evidentiary link and forms the basis of certain charges,' he told the earlier October hearing.
'There are discussions between the pair that occur … involving discussions about child abuse material.
'And police investigators … they located those communications and that's effectively what kickstarted their inquiry into Mr Brown.'
The prosecutor did not go into further detail about the evidence in open court.
Mr Russell said a suppression order was not necessary at such an early stage of the case.
'There's no evidence before the court ... that Mr Wilson's name and his connection to Mr Brown is likely to remain in the consciousness of prospective jurors some 18 months into the future,' he said.
'We can't proceed on the basis that juries are fragile and we can't be overly sensitive about these things.'
Police were investigating WIlson's alleged offending when they found information on his devices that led them to another accused offender, former childcare worker Joshua Brown (pictured)
Brown had worked in more than 20 childcare centres across Melbourne and is accused of sexually babies and toddlers at a centre in the city's west between April 2022 and January 2023, and transmitting abuse material to Wilson.
Investigations are also underway into further suspected abuse by Brown at another centre in Essendon.
Hey -The Brown case has plunged Australia’s childcare sector into crisis, with the top two executives of one of those chains, Affinity Education, which employed Brown, stood down last week.
Wilson will return to the court on November 14 for a committal mention, while Brown returns to court in February.
