Former Childcare Workers Avoid Conviction for Assaulting Toddler
Two former employees of a western Sydney childcare centre have pleaded guilty to assaulting an 18-month-old boy, but have avoided criminal convictions.
Julie Gay Minter, 55, and Bhawna Joshi, 28, admitted to physically abusing the child at Little Zak's Academy in Doonside in October 2023.
Minter pulled the child up by the arm, forcing him onto his tiptoes, while Joshi pushed the child against a wall. The court heard the child was acting in an age-appropriate manner, but the workers became annoyed.
"Becoming annoyed with children who are behaving unpredictably requires patience, skill and care and needs to be learned." — Judge James Howard to Bhawna Joshi
Court Outcome
The incident came to light when a parent witnessed Minter's actions and reported it. Both women were originally charged with five counts of common assault, but prosecutors withdrew all but one charge against each of them.
On separate dates at Blacktown Local Court, judges handed each woman a two-year community release order (good behaviour bond) without recording a criminal conviction.
Judge Kirk Dailly noted Minter's "dedication to her own family and the children of others" but stated the assault "was overstepping the mark slightly and shouldn't have been done."
Aftermath and Centre Closure
Minter, who had worked in childcare for 20 years, was fired and will not return to the industry. Joshi was also terminated from her position.
Little Zak's Academy in Doonside closed its doors weeks after the allegations surfaced and has not reopened. The centre's troubles were compounded by a separate, unrelated incident involving another worker allegedly locking an autistic child in a storage shed.