2LT Local News

58-year old man to face Bathurst court on child sex charges

Oct 5, 2018

BATHURST, Central West, NSW, Australia – A 58-year old man who was arrested in Bathurst this week will appear in the Bathurst Local Court on Tuesday (9 October 2018) on child sex charges.

The arrest relates to an incident which took place 12 years ago, however at the time detectives working on the case were unable to identify the man.

A breakthrough in the case came in June this year when police were notified of a forensic match. Further investigations followed and the man was arrested in Bathurst around 11:00am on Wednesday. He appeared in the Lithgow Local Court on Thursday and was remanded without bail to appear at the Bathurst court on Tuesday.

Police allege that around midnight on Sunday 30 July 2006 at Cardiff, in the Hunter region, near Newcastle, a then 15-year-old boy left a party and was approached by an unknown man in a nearby public toilet block.

The man allegedly forced the boy into a cubicle and sexually and indecently assaulted him.

After a period of time, the boy managed to push the man away and run from the toilet block.

The boy immediately reported the incident to local police and was taken to hospital for treatment and an examination.

A crime scene was established at the toilet block, which was examined by specialist forensic officers.

Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad established Strike Force Edmundsen to investigate the incident, but despite extensive inquiries, police were unable to make progress until the forensic match occurred.

When he attends Bathurst Local Court on Tuesday the man will face two counts of aggravated sexual assault  of a victim under 16 years, and aggravated indecent assault of a victim under 16 years.

Anyone with concerns about suspected child abuse or exploitation should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page