Instructor allegedly sexually assaulted three 11-year-old girls at school camp

Three 11-year-old girls were allegedly sexually assaulted at a Christian adventure camp in Sydney that hundreds of public and private schoolchildren attend each year.

Child abuse squad detectives on Tuesday arrested Wedderburn Christian Campsite instructor Samuel John Kelly and charged him with more than a dozen child sex offences related to a school camp held at the 136-acre campsite in the city’s south-west.

File picture of Wedderburn Christian Camp. Hundreds of public and private schoolchildren attend the camp each year.

Police allege Kelly, 18, inappropriately touched the three students from a school in Sydney’s south while checking their harnesses during a number of activities in late October.

Kelly was charged with 13 counts of intentionally sexually touching a child between 10 and 16 years old. He did not apply for bail when he appeared in court on Wednesday, and was remanded in custody to face Campbelltown Local Court on December 2.

Wedderburn Christian Campsite confirmed it had terminated Kelly’s employment when it became aware of the allegations, which detectives began investigating this month. It declined to comment on the allegations against Kelly. It is not clear how long Kelly worked at Wedderburn.

A number of public and private schools attend camps at Wedderburn, which offers a raft of adventure activities including rock climbing, abseiling and tree climbs.

An instructor at Wedderburn Christian Campsite allegedly sexually assaulted three 11-year-old girls.

The campsite’s cabin-style accommodation sleeps 144 people, according to an information pack provided to schools.

All Wedderburn staff working with children are “appropriately screened and approved, in accordance with the Child Protection (Prohibited Employment) Act 1998”, according to the information pack.

Images posted to social media by the alleged victims’ school and Wedderburn show dozens of students at the campsite on the days of Kelly’s alleged offending.

The NSW Education Department declined to comment.

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