A male who claims to be female allegedly tried to rape a woman as she walked past St Mary’s Cathedral in the heart of Sydney earlier this week.
Benjamin Charles Jones, 47, was arrested at Surry Hills Police Station on Wednesday and charged with take/detain person with intent to obtain advantage, stalk/intimidate with intent to cause physical harm, and attempted sexual intercourse without consent.
Police allege Jones, who was also wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant for breaching a community corrections order, attempted to sexually assault a 31-year-old woman outside the cathedral at about 11.50pm on Tuesday night.
On Thursday Jones appeared in the Downing Centre Local court where he said “I identify as transgender and queer … I had nothing to do with it”, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Jones, who was bleeding from a facial scratch and goes by the name “Willow”, was told to be quiet by his lawyer and the magistrate.
Last month he was given a 12-month community corrections order after being found guilty in Batemans Bay Local Court of failing to comply with reporting conditions and providing false information, court records show.
Jones did not apply for release and will remain in custody until after Christmas.
Header image: Left, by File:St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney HDR.jpg: Adam.J.W.C.derivative work: Georgfotoart – This file was derived from: St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney HDR.jpg: , CC BY-SA 2.5, Link. Right, by J Bar – en:Image: The Downing Centre.JPG, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link.
