A 13-year-old boy on an e-bike has been charged with eight counts of sexual touching after allegedly harassing women and girls on Sydney’s northern beaches.
The arrests follow a wave of fear in the Narrabeen area, where victims aged 13 to 54 reported being touched without consent while walking trails. Police moved quickly to establish a dedicated strike force after the incidents began in early October.
Strike Force Action
New South Wales Police confirmed the teenager was arrested on Saturday evening at Mona Vale police station. He was taken to Manly and charged with three counts of offensive behavior in a public place. The charges stem from 11 separate incidents where the suspect allegedly approached victims, touched them, and fled on his e-bike. In one case, he also made inappropriate sexual comments. Police released CCTV footage on Saturday, identifying the male rider as a person of interest. The investigation began after three reports were filed on October 7 and 8, prompting the creation of Strike Force Mexvo with support from the state crime command’s sex crimes unit.
Community Fear
Superintendent John Duncan acknowledged the difficulty of policing the area. “It’s a bushland park that runs 8km, a large amount of which … runs through bushland, obviously there’s not a great deal of CCTV and cameras,” Duncan said. He urged residents to come forward with any additional information. The latest reports detail an incident on Monday where two women near Bilarong reserve were allegedly touched between 5pm and 5:30pm. Another victim reported being touched near Narrabeen lagoon on October 1. The boy has been granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear at children’s court on November 4.
Source: Guardian World
This article was compiled by the IndiaBBCNews editorial system from verified international news sources. Facts have been independently reviewed. Original reporting: Guardian World.
