A Primbee man with recent child pornography convictions has been accused of touching up a 16-year-old girl he met on the beach after allegedly making references to her young age.
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Michael Hogan, 28, was charged with three counts of indecent assault over the incident, which is alleged to have occurred on Monday morning, just 11 days after he was placed on a 20-month good behaviour bond in court for possessing child pornography.
Police documents outlining the case against Hogan said the alleged victim was sunbaking on South Beach near WIN Entertainment Centre when she noticed Hogan sitting a short distance away, however he approached her as she began packing her things to leave and struck up a conversation.
At one stage while walking back up the beach, Hogan allegedly put his arms around the girl and pulled her body back into his, before letting her go and saying ‘‘you’ve got goosebumps, you must be cold’’.
Police alleged Hogan then said to the girl ‘‘you must be pretty young’’ to which she replied ‘‘yeah’’.
The teen told police Hogan offered to give her a lift, which she refused, however as they approached Hogan’s car he took her belongings and placed them inside.
The girl said she was scared and didn’t know what to do so got in the car, at which time Hogan allegedly ran his hand over the girl’s bottom and said ‘‘it’s like a free grab’’.
When he got in the driver’s seat, Hogan allegedly sprayed himself with Adidas cologne then leant into the girl and smelt her hair, commenting on its nice aroma.
The girl said Hogan rubbed her thigh as he drove towards the Wollongong CBD.
Unsure if Hogan was going to drop her off, the girl asked to be let out at the Wollongong cinemas, allegedly prompting Hogan to say ‘‘don’t worry, I’m not going to take you somewhere like the bush’’.
He pulled the car up outside the cinemas and the teen got out. She walked straight to Wollongong police station to report the incident.
Hogan was arrested on Monday afternoon and refused bail overnight to appear in court on Tuesday, where he entered not guilty pleas to each of the charges.
His lawyer, John Gallagher, said Hogan had an address to live at and would obey any bail conditions if released from custody, however Magistrate Susan McGowan refused the application and ordered Hogan to remain behind bars until his next court appearance.
