Former childcare worker convicted of indecent treatment of child, not guilty of rape, sentenced to 20 months with deportation
Consensus Summary
A former childcare worker named Arvind Ajay Singh, a 43-year-old Fiji citizen, was convicted of indecent treatment of a child under his care on the Sunshine Coast in 2022 but acquitted of digital rape charges. After a three-day trial with 10 witnessesâincluding the victimâa jury found him guilty of the lesser charge, leading to a 20-month prison sentence with 10 months suspended and mandatory deportation to Fiji. Singhâs visa was cancelled post-charge, and he remained in Australia until voluntarily returning in February 2026 to face trial. The case highlighted systemic failures in child protection, as the victimâs parents described the abuse as occurring in a place meant to be safe, with one parent criticizing Australiaâs immigration processes for allowing Singh to leave before trial. While the ABC articles focused on legal proceedings and judicial remarks, NEWSCOMAU added emotional context from the victimâs family, portraying their prolonged struggle for justice and frustration with the outcome.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Arvind Ajay Singh, a 43-year-old Fiji citizen, was found guilty of indecent treatment of a child under his care in Queensland in 2022
- Singh was not guilty of the charge of digitally raping the child, as determined by a jury after a three-day trial
- The victim was a child in Singhâs care at a Sunshine Coast childcare centre in 2022
- Singh was sentenced to 20 monthsâ imprisonment, with 10 months suspended and deportation to Fiji following service
- Singhâs visa was cancelled after being charged with rape in 2022, making him an unlawful citizen; he was deported to Fiji in July 2025 before voluntarily returning in February 2026 to face trial
- The trial involved 10 witnesses, including the victim, and DNA testing results were neutral
- Judge Glen Cash described the offence as a âbetrayal of trustâ and âbrazenâ offending
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The parent of the victim described Singhâs actions as a âprofound betrayal of trustâ and detailed emotional trauma to the child and family during court proceedings
- The court heard Singh incurred debt for deportation costs before his criminal justice visa was sponsored by the state
- The parentâs joint impact statement emphasized the childcare centreâs failure to protect the child, calling it a âsafe and nurturing placeâ that became a site of betrayal
- Defence barrister Lachlan Ygoa-McKeown argued Singh was not guilty of either charge and called the childâs evidence âvague and weakâ
- The court heard Singh was detained in immigration detention for a month in May 2025 before deportation
- The victimâs father stated on *A Current Affair* that the family had been in âlimbo landâ for four years due to the prolonged legal process
- The father criticized the system for allowing Singh to leave Australia before trial, saying âsomeone stamped his paperwork and let an accused rapist go out the front doorâ
- The mother praised the childâs bravery and stated the family had to âfight to get him off the streetsâ to prevent further harm
- The father expressed devastation, saying âIâd get lower if I didnât pay my taxesâ as a reaction to the sentence
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- Article 1 (ABC) states Singh was deported in July 2025 and incurred debt for deportation costs, while Article 2 (ABC) does not mention this detail
- Article 1 (ABC) includes the judgeâs explicit description of the offence as âbrazenâ and a âbetrayal of trust,â but Article 2 (ABC) does not repeat this phrasing
- Article 2 (ABC) mentions the jury requested to watch the childâs video evidence a second time, which is not referenced in Article 1 (ABC)
- Article 3 (NEWSCOMAU) emphasizes the familyâs emotional devastation and four-year legal battle in greater detail than the ABC articles, which focus more on procedural facts
Source Articles
Childcare worker guilty of indecent treatment of child, not guilty of rape
A former childcare worker has been found not guilty of raping a child in his care after a three-day trial on the Sunshine Coast....
Former childcare worker jailed for indecent treatment of child
A former childcare worker from Fiji is sentenced to jail for the indecent treatment of a child at a daycare centre in Queensland, and will be deported afterwards....
Inside fight for child abuser to face justice
The family of a young girl abused by a childcare worker said they are âdevastatedâ to learn of his 10-month jail sentence after he was found guilty....