A 73-year-old man from Adelaide’s western suburbs was arrested on Thursday morning, facing 55 historical child abuse charges linked to the notorious, now-demolished Magill Training Centre.
The arrest follows a major investigative push by South Australia Police (SAPOL), who have been scrutinizing decades of alleged abuse at the state-run detention facility. The charges stem from a period spanning 1978 to 2003 and involve 29 known victim-survivors, many of whom were children at the time of the alleged offenses.
Assistant Commissioner Stuart McLean, representing the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Service, confirmed the arrest during a press conference on Thursday. He stated that the accused had gained access to the facility despite not being a government employee or a staff member of the centre.
“We’ll be alleging today this man had access to the Magill Training Centre—however, he was not an employee of the centre nor was he a government employee,” Assistant Commissioner McLean said. While the exact nature of the man’s work at the site remains under seal due to pending applications for suppression orders, police maintained that there is “sufficient evidence” to warrant the charges, which include multiple counts of rape, unlawful sexual intercourse, sexual abuse, gross indecency, and indecent assault.
The investigation into these specific allegations officially commenced in December 2023. It gained significant momentum following the establishment of Task Force Libero in March 2025, which was specifically created to investigate historical child sexual abuse linked to the Magill site and other state care facilities.
The Magill Training Centre, which housed boys and girls aged 10 to 18 on detention orders, has long been a site of dark historical significance. In 2004, the Children in State Care Commission Inquiry, led by Commissioner Ted Mullighan, began investigating widespread allegations of abuse. The commission’s 2008 report exposed a “systemic failure” within the state’s care system, confirming that at least 242 children had been subjected to abuse while in government custody. The centre was eventually closed and demolished in 2012.
Assistant Commissioner McLean emphasized that the passage of decades has not lessened the resolve of investigators to secure justice for those affected.
“This arrest reflects South Australia Police’s commitment to supporting victim-survivors, regardless of when the offending is alleged to have occurred,” he said. “The passage of time does not diminish the seriousness with which SAPOL treats these allegations. They will be thoroughly investigated and, where the evidence supports it, offenders will be brought before the courts.”
Police are continuing their broader inquiry into the facility and have issued a public appeal for anyone with further information to come forward. Witnesses can contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000, and remain anonymous.
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