A former television news presenter has been charged with 69 new charges after allegedly speaking about abusing underage boys on a gay chat site. He is also accused of using a carriage service to transmit or make available child abuse material, and to cause said material to be transmitted to himself.

Ben McCormack is best known for presenting the Australian TV show A Current Affair. He was charged by Queensland Police after allegedly using the chat service from his parents’ home in Brisbane – including on Christmas Day in 2024. In chilling messages obtained from court documents seen by the Daily Mail, he allegedly told another man he loved school holidays “because of the sexy little boys” and “hairless” boys.

He is also accused of saying: “I love small.”

The court documents also alleged sexually explicit exchanges about fantasies involving underage children.

He is said to have told one subscriber to the gay and bisexual mobile app FastMeet: “I love school holidays and stuff especially down the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

“Yeah, sexy little boys in singlets and shorts, yeah with sexy hairless little legs.

“I love standing at urinals at the footy and stuff like that. I feel like a perv but like I just look at little boys.”

The alleged conversations took place over an eight-month period in 2024. He also allegedly told another man he loves “f***ing underage boy sex” and “I f***in’ love little pre-teen boys.”

An affidavit at Brisbane’s Supreme Court said: “In the recordings [McCormack] is alleged to have described the rape and sexual abuse of male children, expressing a preference for boys aged eight and nine.”

He previously pleaded guilty in 2017 to two charges of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material. He was sentenced to a three-year $1,000 good behaviour bond by NSW District Court. He was placed on the child sex offenders register.

Some of the new charges brought against him relate to failing to comply with reporting obligations as part of being on the register, which requires him to submit details of his social media user and digital devices.

He is currently in custody after being arrested in August 2025, and faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.