A man who was due to walk free from jail on Wednesday has had his release blocked after he was allegedly caught on CCTV indecently assaulting an underage inmate.
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The 20-year-old was already serving time a Juvenile Justice centre for sexually assaulting a minor when police allege he committed the indecent acts.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Kieran Drever lodged the last-minute detention application in Wagga Local Court on Monday.
“Should [the offender] be granted bail, there is an unacceptable risk to the safety of the community and of him continuing to commit offences,” Sergeant Drever said.
“He’s currently serving a sentence for sexually assaulting a juvenile and, while serving that custodial penalty in a correctional facility, he is then committing further offences that, although not as serious, were also along the same lines of indecently assaulting a young person.”
Police allege that the four indecent assaults fell within a 24-hour period.
Sergeant Drever told the court the home address listed on the man’s bail application was right next to a primary school.
“Given the nature of the offences for which he is already serving time and the new allegations, there are concerns that he will continue to commit offences against young people, given the proposed location that he is to reside,” she said.
The man’s lawyer said he had secured full-time employment at a factory, which would mean he would not be near the school during class hours.
However, magistrate Christopher Halburd granted the police’s application to extend his detention, arguing his release would pose an “unacceptable risk” to the community.
“This individual is older than most of the people in a Juvenile Justice detention centre and is alleged to have committed further indecent assaults on someone in that controlled environment,” Mr Halburd said.
“It seems to me that a Juvenile Justice detention centre would be stronger than any bail conditions a court could possibly impose, because, as the sergeant points out, not only are there Juvenile Justice officers present, but there’s CCTV.”
Mr Halburd said the prosecution case against the man seemed particularly strong, given that one of the alleged incidents was caught on camera.
The man will return to court on August 29 to enter his pleas.
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