A former childcare employee accused of abusing children in his care has been hit with another 129 charges after investigators say they identified more victims.

The man, aged in his 30s, was initially charged with eight counts of online child abuse material offences in July 2025 after years of alleged offending.

Examination of more electronic evidence has uncovered dozens more alleged offences, the Australian federal police said.

Investigators had methodically reviewed 2.4m electronic files found on the man’s devices to establish the scale of offending across several centres, AFP Det Supt Luke Needham said.

“We know matters like this are a parent’s worst nightmare,” he said. “Our priority is to analyse all available evidence and engage impacted families as soon as possible.”

The AFP said the alleged offending and creation of child abuse material took place between 2009 and 2025.

The Sydney man, who cannot be named because of a court order, appeared in Parramatta local court on Friday.

He faces a total of 137 charges, including 68 counts of production of child abuse material, 29 counts of filming a person engaged in a private act without consent, and seven counts of intentionally sexually touching a child under 10 years.

Some of the new charges carry a sentence of 20 years in prison.

A mother whose children may have come in contact with the accused at a childcare centre, and who also cannot be named, was visibly distressed when the man first appeared in court.

“Disgust, anger, grief, everything,” the woman said when asked for her feelings outside court in September 2025.