A mother has revealed how the man alleged to be Australia’s worst child abuser worked his way into her life – and the moment she kicked him out her home.

Pre-school worker Hamish Tait, 35, faces 329 child abuse-related charges allegedly committed against more than 130 children between 2009 and 2025 while working at 62 childcare centres across NSW.

Police seized 2.4million files from Tait’s electronic devices, allegedly including 500,000 unique child abuse images involving 136 confirmed victims, with 22 more still to be identified.

The scale of the allegations means that, if convicted, Tait would have offended against more children than any other paedophile in Australian history 

Tait was also heavily involved in Australia’s home-schooling community.

‘This whole situation has gotten me very shaken up,’ Wollongong mother Amy told the Daily Mail. ‘I feel physically sick for ever trusting him into our family.’

Amy home-schooled her four boys, then aged three, five, six and seven, and said she was first introduced to Tait through social media.

He regularly posted about ‘unschooling’, a philosophy where children learn through life experiences rather than a traditional curriculum. 

Pre-school worker Hamish Tait, 35, faces 329 child abuse-related charges allegedly committed between 2009 and 2025 

Tait was also heavily involved in Australia’s home-schooling community 

‘He was very active on Instagram amongst the childhood unplugged community,’ she explained. ‘And he was watching my family very closely.

‘He’d comment on all the content I shared and especially photos of my six-year-old, always complimenting him.’

Amy, a photographer, said she found it unusual Tait was the only active father in an online community largely made up of mothers, but didn’t think too much of it then.

‘We all knew each other online but he was really the only male who was always commenting, liking photos and private messaging to touch base with people,’ she said.

When Tait later contacted her to book a family photoshoot at her rural property, Amy admits she felt a little uncomfortable and asked her husband to make sure he was home.

‘He brought gifts for the kids and baked goods which, of course, they loved,’ she remembered. 

‘He had also written them a poem each which was kind of weird but I just thought he was really into that.

‘The poem to my youngest read that he was the “lion cub of the family whose eyes shone so bright”.’ 

Hamish Tait booked the photographer mum for his wife’s pregnancy shoot 

Tait wrote poems for the children  

Amy said Tait arrived with his wife and their baby and quickly charmed the family, appearing completely besotted with her children.

‘He was so much fun and they were lapping up all the attention,’ she added.

She said he hoisted the boys onto his shoulders and tickled them whenever he had the chance.

After the shoot, the families stayed in touch on social media before Tait reached out again a month later to book a second session when his wife fell pregnant with their second child.

‘On the day of the shoot my husband was sick and there were howling winds through the area so I tried to get him to cancel,’ she said.

‘But he was so persistent, kept pushing and pushing for it so in the end I thought I’d just get it over with and get them out of the house as soon as I could.’

Amy said Tait once again made himself at home, laughing and playing with the children as if they had known each other for years.

‘We shared morning tea and he was wrestling with the kids, tickling them and giving them piggyback rides,’ she revealed.

Amy did two photoshoots with Tait and his family 

Tait made himself at home, laughing and playing with the children as if they had known each other for years

‘They loved it, he was so much fun and went with them walking to the sheds and around the property.

‘I was trying to rush him to get this shoot done and he was just dragging it out but eventually his wife went to get changed in the bedroom with their daughter and he said he’d go out to his car to get ready.’

Moments later, her eldest son came running inside and revealed his brother’s pants had fallen down.

Amy said she immediately gathered her children inside, finished the photoshoot as quickly as possible and hurried Tait, his wife and their young family out of her home.

‘He wouldn’t leave, it was so strange,’ she said. 

Hamish Tait (pictured) allegedly had a keen interest in one of the photographer’s sons

If found guilty, Tait will be Australia’s most prolific child predator 

‘I told him he should leave as we were having dinner and he said he’d stay and join us. I was just so confused by everything.

‘I felt so awkward, like was I imagining it all, was he acting so normal about these things.

‘It just makes kids believe it’s okay and parents to doubt their instincts.

‘My husband was really sick and I was pretty much solo parenting and also doing the shoot while hosting a family and he is sat there with his wife and child.’

Amy said she tried to convince herself she was overreacting.

The following day she and her husband sat their sons down to talk about what had happened.

‘After my son’s pants fell down, Hamish put him in the car and pulled out his phone and started swiping,’ she said.

Amy said the encounter left her deeply unsettled

Tait was arrested in July 2025, but his identity was only revealed this week after a suppression order was lifted

‘After that I blocked him on all platforms and never spoke to him again. He did reach out to book a baby shoot but I never replied.’

Amy said the encounter left her deeply unsettled but, with nothing more than a gut feeling, she believed there was little authorities could have acted on.

‘I used another social media account and looked through all his photos,’ she said. 

‘I don’t know what I was looking for – but I just wanted to find something to show me I was right.’

Tait was arrested in July 2025, but his identity was only revealed this week after a suppression order was lifted.

‘I was physically sick, vomiting and crying when I saw his face on the news and I feel awful for all those children,’ she said.

‘I remember now he told me all these stories about working in Aboriginal communities too and showed me photos of a young boy he took to the movies when he was there.

‘The stuff in the news is just what the police have found, but I think there is more that will come out. I have had lots of messages from other mums who knew him too.’

Police seized more than two million files from Tait’s electronic devices, allegedly including 500,000 unique child abuse images involving 136 confirmed victims, with 22 to be identified

This week detectives issued a fresh public appeal after recovering these images allegedly from electronic devices seized from Tait

Police hope distinctive items of children’s clothing may be recognised by parents, carers or members of the public

Looking back now, Amy said she was grateful her sons trusted their instincts and immediately came to her when something didn’t feel right.

‘I’m so proud of my boys for how they looked out for each other back then,’ she added. 

‘I think they were so smart and aware of their surroundings because home-schooling teaches a lot of that.

‘They were quick to come to me.

 ‘I should have told him to f*** off rather than being accommodating and nice.’ 

Amy has now alerted NSW Police about Tait’s alleged links to the home-schooling community and remote Aboriginal communities where he claimed to have worked.

This week detectives issued a fresh public appeal after recovering images allegedly from electronic devices seized from Tait that they believe could help identify more victims.

As part of Operation Moonbi, police released seven images showing distinctive items of children’s clothing, hoping they may be recognised by parents, carers or members of the public.

The images, which detectives believe were taken at childcare centres in Sydney’s north-west, include a puffer vest featuring a distinctive dinosaur pattern that police allege was photographed on June 26, 2023, at a childcare centre in Rouse Hill.

More images, believed to have been taken between February 18, 2020 and March 3, 2024 at the same Rouse Hill childcare centre, show a pair of blue patterned shorts and a two-tone T-shirt featuring an animal design on the front and left shoulder.

Detectives are urging anyone who recognises the clothing or has information that could assist the investigation to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. 

 If the subject matter has affected you, call 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)