Bangladeshi student, 27, charged with sexually assaulting teenage girl at Bondi Westfield

A Bangladeshi international student allegedly sexually assaulted a teenage girl on an escalator at Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre.

Md “Mohammed” Abdul Shadak Papon, 27, was refused bail in Waverley Local Court on Monday charged with six counts of intentional sexual touching of a child, one count of grooming, and one count of aggravated sexual intercourse with a child under 16, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Police allege the Coles supermarket worker approached the girl on Friday evening and put his hand down her pants in full view of CCTV. He was arrested in his Coles uniform at a nearby bus stop on Sunday.

Magistrate Michael Barko said the prosecution case was strong as the alleged attack was caught on CCTV, and commented on Papon’s visa status while reading the police documents in court.

“He’s here at privilege of the Australian people, on what’s said to be a student visa, from Bangladesh,” Magistrate Barko said.

“They might do things differently in Bangladesh than they do in Sydney, Australia … We can’t have people allegedly touching up 15-year-old girls in our shopping centres.”

Papon told his Legal Aid lawyer he wanted to be released on bail as his wife, who is also a student, might self-harm if he did not come home. However, he did not put anyone in contact with her or go into more detail about his fears for her safety.

The court also heard he is the family’s sole bread-winner and has no Australian criminal record.

But Magistrate Barko said his primary concern was ensuring public safety.

“I care about the public of NSW and 15-year-old girls who are allegedly sexually assaulted,” he said.

Papon protested as he was remanded in custody in the same Coles polo shirt he was arrested in, and will face Downing Centre Local Court on February 25.

Header image: Westfield Bondi Junction, Sardaka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons