A Fijian childcare worker accused of raping a four-year-old girl in Australia has fled the country before facing trial, triggering public outrage.
The 39 year old was charged in 2022 by Queensland Police with one count of rape involving a young girl in his care at a Sunshine Coast childcare centre.
Initially remanded in custody, he was granted bail in April 2023 after surrendering his passport, with conditions that barred him from airports and prohibited any attempt to leave Australia.
But in a stunning breach of protocol, the man managed to recover his passport and voluntarily fly to Fiji in July 2025, according to an investigation aired by A Current Affair.
His failure to appear in court the following month has now left the case in legal limbo, with Queensland prosecutors reportedly working to secure an extradition.
The girl’s parents say they feel betrayed by a system that allowed their child’s alleged abuser to walk free.
“I don’t understand how the whole system could fail a four-year-old little girl,” the child’s father told A Current Affair.
“Why aren’t all these departments talking to each other? How does this even happen? It shouldn’t happen at all.”
The mother echoed his sentiments, calling for immediate reforms to close what she described as dangerous loopholes.
“No other family or child should be put through this,” she said.
The man was placed in immigration detention earlier this year after being deemed an “unlawful non-citizen” by the Australian Border Force.
Despite his pending trial and bail restrictions, he was reportedly allowed to leave voluntarily — sparking a blame game between government departments.
A Home Affairs spokesperson told A Current Affair they could not comment on individual cases due to privacy reasons, while Immigration Minister Tony Burke also declined to speak publicly on the matter.
