By JESSE GRAHAM
PUFFING Billy Railway has distanced itself from a former volunteer, who was arrested earlier this week on child sexual abuse offences.
An 83-year-old Seymour man was arrested on Monday, 12 January and has been charged with 20 counts of indecent assault and one count of false imprisonment dating back over 40 years.
A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed the man was arrested following an investigation into alleged child sexual abuse offences dating back to the 1960s and 1970s.
The man, whose name has been withheld to avoid potentially identifying victims, has been stated by other media outlets to be a Puffing Billy volunteer.
However, Puffing Billy Railway CEO John Robinson said the organisation had not been in contact with the man in decades.
In an email to the Mail, Mr Robinson said the man in question had been a volunteer with the organisation in the past, but had had no connection with the railway for over 25 years.
“We know nothing in relation to the allegations made against him,” Mr Robinson wrote.
The man has been charged on summons and is expected to face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 6 February.
