An Illawarra man has been refused bail on child rape charges despite his family agreeing to put up $50,000 to ensure he attended court dates in the future.
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The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stands accused of repeatedly molesting his step-daughter between 2014 and 2017, when she was aged 12 to 14.
He was arrested last Friday afternoon and charged with nine offences including aggravated sexual intercourse and indecent assault.
He was remanded in custody over the weekend but fronted Wollongong Local Court on Monday afternoon to make a bail application.
Defence lawyer Abdul Shukoor said the man’s parents would agree to put up a $50,000 surety to secure their son’s release. He also said the man could reside with close friends, who lived about 30 minutes away.
Mr Shukoor confirmed the man had “qualified support” from his wife – the mother of the complainant – who was in court to witness the proceedings and wrote a letter to the magistrate endorsing her husband’s release.
He also noted there was no corroborating evidence supporting the teen’s abuse claims, and said it would be impossible to assess the strength of the prosecution case until the girl gave evidence at trial.
However, prosecutor Sean Thackray said police opposed bail due to concerns for the integrity of the victim’s evidence.
“There’s an inescapable tie between the accused and the child, being the mother in the middle,” he said.
“The mother wants to support the accused and the child….there’s a lot of subtle things that could impact on her [the complainant’s] ability to give evidence.”
Magistrate Susan McGowan agreed and refused bail. The case will return to court in August.