Daniel "Jimmy" Hanson, now 34, appeared in Newcastle Local Court via audio visual link from Cessnock Correctional Centre on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to 23 counts of sexual and indecent assault against 14 girls aged between 12 and 22.

As part of plea negotiations, the DPP withdrew dozens of other charges.

Hanson, who was represented by solicitor Mandy Hull, will next appear in Newcastle District Court next month to get a sentence date.

From the time he was about 18 until he was 24, Hanson "showed a sexual interest in young women under the age of 16", according to an agreed statement of facts, with seven years the average age difference between him and his victims.

And for the majority of the time he was grooming and assaulting young women, Hanson was the lead-singer in Newcastle band Falling for Beloved, styling himself as "Jimmy Beloved".

He would typically meet one of the young women at a gig, ask for their phone number and send them text messages, which eventually developed a sexual nature and included nude photographs.

He would then meet the teenage girls near his home, in secluded spots near stormwater drains to have sex.

Police received a complaint in 2019 and commenced an investigation and a subsequent media release triggered more than a dozen young women to come forward and make allegations against Hanson.

He was, it seems, essentially crushed by the tendency argument against him and pleaded guilty to a string of offences on Wednesday, including two charges of persistent sexual abuse of a child - which carries a maximum of life in jail.

More to come.