Late last year, police from the Sex Crimes Squad formed Strike Force Holbeach to investigate allegations that a former dentist in Armidale had indecently and sexually assaulted two boys inside a dental surgery on numerous occasions throughout the early 1980s.

At the time of the alleged assaults, one of the boys was aged between 15 and 16, while the other boy was aged between nine and 10.

The offences are alleged to have occurred on a number of occasions throughout 1981 and 1982 when the boys visited the dental surgery as patients.

Yesterday, detectives arrested a 79-year-old Armidale man at his home, before taking him to Armidale Police Station where he was charged with: 12 counts of indecent assault; and three counts of sexual intercourse without consent.

The man was granted conditional bail to appear before Armidale Local Court on October 20.