Accused paedophile Joshua Dale Brown will not face court again until next year, after a magistrate gave police more time to gather evidence against him.

The childcare worker did not appear for a brief hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday, when prosecutors applied to extend his committal mention date.

Brown was in May charged with more than 70 offences relating to the alleged abuse of eight children in his care.

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The 26-year-old worked at 20 childcare centres across Melbourne between January 2017 and May 2025, Victoria Police say.

Magistrate Donna Bakos on Tuesday allowed the police to serve the brief of evidence to the defence by December 4, with Brown’s next court date listed for February 10.

She accepted that detectives needed more time for their investigation and that it was likely more charges would be laid.

Brown’s barrister, Rishi Nathwani KC, did not oppose the application, telling the court he would need time to consider the material as well.

He did fight against charge sheets being released to the media, arguing it was too early given the investigation was ongoing.

“Given the high-profile nature already, it would be terribly unfortunate if charges were released prematurely,” Nathwani told the court.

But Bakos noted the charges were on the public record and she was not prepared to restrict access.

“Fair and accurate reporting at this stage requires the nature of the charges to be released,” she said.