US agents probe accused Aussie's blogs

18:35 AEST Fri Oct 23 2009

By Peter Mitchell

The investigation into an Australian camp counsellor accused of sexually abusing boys in Texas has turned to the internet, with US agents unearthing blog entries they believe bolster their case.

Scott Zirus, a 25-year-old from Pinjarra, Western Australia, remains locked up in a US jail and could face a life sentence after being charged earlier this month with molesting three boys at a camp in Texas.

Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer said three more potential victims had come forward in the US after news media carried reports of Zirus' arrest.

The FBI and the US State Department are working with Australian authorities to determine if Zirus, who is believed to have been involved with scouts in Australia and acted as the head of a youth group, abused children in his homeland.

"There's other possibilities in Australia," Hierholzer told AAP.

"I think it definitely needs to be looked at in Australia."

US authorities discovered internet postings they believe Zirus wrote on a MySpace forum where he declared he was a member of the Shadoran movement and it was "a fact that 8 out of 10 boys are bisexual but only 2 out of these 8 will ever admit it".

"I am a Shadoran and we have a special 'sexuality' called 'neltia' (r'neltia for male and l'neltia for female) - this 'sexuality' is unique because it has no boundries (sic)," Zirus allegedly wrote.

"You are open to love from ANY age, race or gender ... I will love whom ever I love."

In another posting Zirus allegedly wrote how he believed molesters "are sick and wrong", but stated there was a difference between people who find children "sexually attractive" and "molesters".

A computer confiscated by US authorities contained photos that point to Zirus abusing children in Australia, Hierholzer said.

"It appears on preliminary from a lot of the stuff on the computer there could be other victims in Australia," the sheriff said.

Zirus was working at the popular 86-year-old Camp Stewart for Boys in Kerr County Texas as part of an international camp exchange program.

He was arrested at San Antonio international airport on August 20 before he could board a plane for the first leg of his journey back to Australia. He has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child and continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14.

US investigators believe Zirus is a child predator.

"He talks about loving anybody he wants," Hierholzer said.

"We have multiple victims in our state.

"There are photos on his computer.

"To me, he definitely fits the definition and motive of predator.

"We'll see what the courts say, but my opinion is my opinion."

WA police said they were notified by US authorities of Zirus' arrest in Texas last month.

"The child abuse squad in partnership with the Department for Child Protection have an ongoing investigation in respect to Mr Zirus arising from the notification of his arrest," Sergeant Graham Clifford said.

There was no specific allegation Zirus had abused any WA children, Sgt Clifford said.

"The current investigation is focusing on identifying any children Zirus has had contact with in WA and to determine if any of those children have been offended against," he said.

If parents had concerns about their children's contact with Zirus they should contact Crime Stoppers.