A Bellambi man accused of twice breaking into a woman's house and pulling the sheets off her body as she slept has claimed his behaviour was not sexually motivated.
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When arrested, Mehrten Puruto initially denied even having seen the woman, let alone attending her Corrimal home on three occasions in March this year.
However, he gave a second interview just hours later in which he allegedly confessed to entering the woman's home but denied suggestions of a sexual motive, claiming he'd been trying to steal her watch as she slept.
Court documents said the woman first encountered Puruto on March 19 when she saw him standing outside her lounge room window.
He claimed to have just chased away "some blokes", then allegedly enquired about her age, if she was single and asked if he could kiss her.
She told him to leave and he did.
However, it is alleged Puruto returned to the house under the cover of darkness a few days later and gained entry via a latch-secured but unlocked door.
He allegedly crouched next to her bed as she slept and pulled back the sheets.
The woman woke up, recognised Puruto and chased him out of the house.
She told police she went back to bed and fell asleep but didn't report the matter the next day because she though it was a dream.
Puruto allegedly did the same thing the following night.
The woman again chased him out of the house, at which time he allegedly stole her handbag.
The bag was found by a neighbour the following morning in the driveway.
The victim discovered her house keys were missing and contacted police.
Forensic officers examined the house and lifted Puruto's fingerprint from a screen door inside the unit.
Puruto was arrested later that day and charged with two counts of aggravated break and enter.
He was released on stringent court bail at the time which included conditions that he not leave the house except in the company of his mother or father, and that he abide by a nighttime curfew.
However, police discovered Puruto riding a bicycle a suburb away from his home about 9.30 on Thursday night, putting him in breach of his bail conditions.
He was arrested, remanded in custody and faced Wollongong Local Court on Friday where defence lawyer Caitlin Drabble successfully argued for him to be released back into the community.
She said Puruto would agree to a condition banning him leaving his home unless to attend prearranged medical, legal or parole appointments.
Puruto was also ordered to report to Community Corrections within seven days to have an electronic monitoring bracelet a-fixed to his ankle - a condition of his original release that was yet to be implemented.
The case was adjourned to July 15 for the Director of Public Prosecutions to certify the charges against Puruto.
He is yet to enter a plea.
