A Melbourne toy store owner was left blindsided after discovering a senior employee was hiding a past conviction for sharing child sex abuse material with one of Australia’s most notorious child abusers.

Thomas Donaldson, employed as the “minifigure manager” at Brickville, featured regularly in the store’s social media promotions and interacted daily with children and families.

Thomas Donaldson was convicted of transmitting child abuse material. A Current Affair

Four years ago, Donaldson was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment for transmitting child abuse material as part of a network led by Jadd Brooker – an HIV-infected offender who received a 36-year sentence in 2023 after being caught with 4.5 million illicit images.

Donaldson was confronted  about his past inside the store’s back room.

“These offences were years ago … I served my time,” Donaldson claimed when questioned about his employment. 

“I found a job that I love, and a community that I love, and I’ve been working to leave the mistakes that I made in the past.”

When asked why he failed to disclose his criminal record to his employer, Donaldson stated he was under no legal obligation to do so.

Donaldson, left, appeared in promotional images on the store’s social media pages. A Current Affair

Under current Victorian legislation, background and working with children checks are strictly mandated for specified sectors such as childcare and education, leaving retail stores exempt from automatic screening.

Brickville owner Sean McConville confirmed he was completely unaware of Donaldson’s criminal history prior to being informed, citing current privacy regulations and employment norms.

“There’s no legal requirement based on the Privacy Act for a business like mine to do background checks,” McConville said. 

“So I just employed someone that I felt I trusted. 

“And I made a mistake.”

Brickville owner Sean McConville, left, quickly terminated Donaldson’s employment once he found out of his criminal past A Current Affair

Sean took immediate action following the revelation, confirming Donaldson was terminated from his position on the spot.

“He will be leaving my business today … right now,” McConville confirmed.

The incident highlights growing concerns surrounding legislative loopholes that allow high-risk offenders to seek employment in child-adjacent environments without detection.

Victims’ rights advocates, including Bruce and Denise Morcombe, are using the incident to reiterate calls for a unified, publicly accessible national child sex offender register.

While states such as Queensland, Western Australia, and South Australia maintain varying forms of offender registers, populous jurisdictions like NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania lack public access models.

“At the end of the day, it’s about putting the rights of children ahead of convicted paedophiles,” Bruce Morcombe said. 

“We need to know where they are.”