In a disturbing revelation, the foster case was being managed by Uniting Care Burnside – the same organization where a 15-year-old girl dubbed Girl X died after injecting heroin and methamphetamine, reports The Daily Telegraph.
It is understood the man and his wife had cared for the girl for ten years, but that their relationship had changed after the death of the foster mother, thought to be in the last 12 months.
The offender was arrested on October 21 and will be charged with two counts of aggravated indecent assault, sexual intercourse with a person aged 14-16 years and supplying a prohibited drug to a child when he appears at Taree Local Court today,
Police will allege that the first instance of substance abuse occurred at the start of the year, and the second last month, just prior to an investigation being launched into his behavior following reports the girl had been indecently assaulted. She was placed in alternate care in September.
Uniting Care operations director Bob Mulcahy said he could not make any comment on the particular case as it was before the courts.
An inquest into Girl X’s death has exposed systemic failures in the NSW child protection system, which has been plagued by mismanagement and scandal.
