A Canberra man has been refused bail after being charged with a series of offences relating to what the prosecution described as the "depraved" sexual abuse of three boys, including his stepson.
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The man, who cannot be named in order to protect the alleged victims' identities, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday morning.
He did not enter pleas and magistrate Glenn Theakston refused an application for bail.
The court was told the alleged offending spanned nearly two decades, with the earliest charges relating to offences allegedly committed between 2000 and 2002.
The most recent charges related to a period between February 2017 and February 2019.
The charges include sexual intercourse with a person under 10, and sexual intercourse with a person over the age of 10 but under 16.
One of the alleged victims was six when the alleged offending began, and it allegedly continued for seven or eight years.
The prosecution described the nature of the alleged offending as "depraved", particularly in relation to another of the alleged victims, who was the defendant's stepson.
Legal Aid solicitor Andrew Giddings made an application for bail on the man's behalf.
Mr Giddings said the man was the sole provider for his family, which included his wife, who was ill, and three children.
Mr Giddings said remanding the defendant in custody would impact negatively on the family's financial situation.
The prosecution opposed the bail application because of the seriousness of the charges, concerns the alleged victims and their families had expressed about their safety, and because one of the alleged victims had "started displaying overly sexualised behaviour himself".
Mr Theakston said the proposed bail conditions were "simply not comprehensive enough" to alleviate those fears.
The magistrate remanded the accused in custody until his next court appearance on April 16.
