A former couple accused of sexually assaulting seven children during a period of more than 10 years faced a total of 42 charges in separate courts today.
Police allege a majority of the assaults happened at an Oatley home and other assaults at a nature retreat near Mittagong, south of Sydney, between 1986 and 2001.
After a 12-month investigation, Hurstville detectives arrested a man, 65, at Randwick and his co-accused at her workplace at Kingsgrove on Monday afternoon.
The arrests came after officers attached to Strike Force Console seized computers, DVDs, hard drives, discs and other equipment during raids on Sylvania and Bexley properties earlier this month.
The woman, 59, of Bexley, did not apply for bail but was formally refused during her brief appearance before Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday.
She faced five charges involving three victims aged as young as nine. Two of the alleged victims were her daughters.
She was accused of indecently assaulting three under-age girls and allowing her former de-facto partner to have sexual intercourse with two girls between December 1991 and January 1992, according to court documents.
Police allege the assaults happened at River Island Nature Retreat, Wombeyan Caves Road, about 40 kilometres from Mittagong.
Her matter has been adjourned to Central Local Court on April 2.
The man has been charged with committing dozens of sex assaults against seven young girls, some of whom were his step-children and others he babysat, around NSW over a period of 14 years.
The man from Sylvania, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with 37 sex offences against girls aged between four and 19 in Oatley, Mittagong, Menai, Oyster Bay and Coffs Harbour between 1986 and 2001.
He is accused of assaulting one step-daughter ten times while she was between the ages of six and 16, including inciting her to have sex with another person when she was aged between eight and nine.
The man allegedly abused another step-daughter eleven times between the ages of seven and 19.
He is also accused of assaulting five other girls who he was babysitting or caring for in the mid 1980s and early 1990s, including a four-year-old who he allegedly indecently assaulted by fondling her.
The man did not apply for bail when he appeared in Waverley Local Court on Tuesday.
His matter has been adjourned to Central Local Court in April.
Detectives are continuing their investigations and encourage any person who has been a victim of sexual abuse, no matter how long ago the incident occurred, to make a report at their local police station.
