Almost a decade later, in August 2022, the AFP made a breakthrough in the case while re-examining the images uncovered by Argos in 2014.

Guardian Australia understands detectives sought to identify bedsheets depicted in the background of one of the images and were eventually able to trace them to a childcare centre in suburban Brisbane.

  • Caradoc879@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I wish I remembered the site, but there’s a website that has images of the objects and backgrounds from csa materials that people can see and if you recognize a distinct object like a unique art piece or bedsheets in this case, you can report where you know it from.

  • Owangee1@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    This is huge news.

    “… the man, aged 45, had been charged with 1,623 child abuse offences against 91 girls, including 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10.”

      • doppelgangmember@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        These are the outliers where, personally, the death penalty is warranted if convicted. They do not need to be reproducing or influencing others on this. Good or bad.

        Some might even say oh they can be rehabilitated and help stop others from going down that road. Yeah right. We don’t know for sure what causes it, but we do pretty much know these thoughts don’t just go away. At the end of the day, this abuser gets to continue living while others are living with the abusers’ actions for life.

        One has to ask at what point do you draw the line and stop spending resources to preserve this legacy (even if it is cheaper to just house inmates).

      • A_A@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I have no problem with monsters to be tortured if it is better for victims or for anyone in society who wishes so.
        But (maybe?) hate generates more hate. So, in the end, it would be bad for our mental health.

          • MagicShel@programming.dev
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            1 year ago

            Harsh and inhumane treatment is rarely the disincentive folks often think it is. It also provides an extreme incentive for folks to plead guilty to other offenses to avoid being charged for such a crime - which can be good if they are guilty of something and this allows for justice without further harming the victims, but also would lead to innocent people pleading guilty to avoid the possibility of being boiled alive. That kind of shit is used every day in the justice system (in America) to avoid people clogging up the courts by insisting on exercising their right to a fair trial.

            This is one of those problems which has a solution that is clear, simple, and wrong. Criminals must be treated with basic human dignity, because unless you are the almighty, you can’t possibly know exactly what a person “deserves.”

            I’m not trying to be harsh or anything. Feelings like this are absolutely understandable and natural. I have 5 kids and were someone to harm them I would demand to see every manner of cruelty inflicted upon that person. But our laws must strive to be better then that.

  • Brudder Aaron@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    This guy abused 91 children… My heart hurts for them, because I know nothing will ever erase that trauma. But I’m glad this bastard got caught.

  • FuzzyGoldfish@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Very impressed by the people who do this work; it’s got to be soul-crushing. I’m glad they caught the guy and I hope it brings his victims some peace.

  • iByteABit [he/him]@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    As sickening as this is I am pretty intrigued as to what clues they found through the bedsheets, sounds like some great detective work

    • SheeEttin@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I would guess it’s a pattern only sold in certain areas. For example, an Australian children’s cartoon character print. Combine that with other stuff like the type of wall outlets, or any other branded products only sold in certain countries, and you can start to narrow it down.

    • girlfreddyOP
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      1 year ago

      Hotels sometimes have monogramed items, ie: a logo printed or embroidered on sheets, towels, etc.

      Or they use a certain patterned sheet style so the cleaning services they use know who the sheets belong to (vs. all motels/hotels using plain white sheets that are redistributed willy nilly).

    • ArugulaZ@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      I’ve been watching a lot of Forensic Files lately, and I could very easily imagine an episode of that based on this crime, complete with disturbing narration by Peter Thomas.

    • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
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      1 year ago

      my guess would be patterns on industrial-used linens. guy worked for centers that likely used laundry services with patterns generic to some or all industry,