Man charged with sexual abuse of children linked to former Adelaide youth detention centre

A man who had access to children in South Australia’s youth detention centre has been charged with historical sexual abuse offences dating back to 1978.

The 78-year-old from Adelaide’s western suburbs was charged with 55 offences including multiple counts of rape, unlawful sexual intercourse, sexual abuse of a child, gross indecency and indecent assault. Police say the charges relate to 29 known victim-survivors, many of whom were children at the time of the alleged offending.

All charges are linked to the now defunct Magill training centre and date between 1978 and 2003.

The SA police assistant commissioner, Stuart McLean, told reporters at a press conference on Thursday that the arrest was the result of ongoing investigations by taskforce Libero.

“These are very complex and protracted investigations, but the determination and the commitment of those investigators throughout that period leading to the arrest today is a significant body of work. I’m very proud of the work they’ve done,” he said.

He would not be drawn into the man’s exact job at the time of the alleged offending, only saying he had “access to the centre”. He confirmed the man was not a government employee or employed at the centre.

He also said police would take steps to protect the identity of all victim-survivors as they were children at the time of the alleged offences.

McLean said the investigation into the man began in December 2023, with the taskforce formally established in March 2025. This is the taskforce’s first arrest, but McLean said he anticipates the potential for further arrests as investigations continue.

He said police remain committed to supporting victim-survivors despite the “passage of time” since the alleged crimes.

“Complex protractive matters can take time, but when we have sufficient evidence to support charges, we’ll bring people before the court.”

The man was expected to appear in the Adelaide magistrates court on Thursday.