Geraldton man on indecent dealing charge denied bail after allegedly contacting teenager

A Geraldton man who allegedly breached his bail conditions by phoning a teenager he allegedly indecently dealt with and her mother will remain in custody after his application for new bail conditions was rejected. The 48-year-old man, who is not named to protect his alleged victim’s identity, was on bail while facing a charge of having allegedly indecently dealt with a child who was a de facto relative. The alleged victim is his partner’s daughter. The man allegedly called the teenager on November 30, 2022, and said the words “help me” before she cut off the call. The next day, he allegedly contacted the teen’s mother. The accused man had been ordered to contact neither of them as part of his bail. His lawyer said there were exceptional circumstances for him to granted bail again, namely the lengthy period of time he is expected to wait in custody for his trial and the number of mental and physical health issues he has. Magistrate Angus Hockton said there were no conditions he could grant that could convince him the man would not attempt to contact the teenage complainant or influence witnesses. “The real concern I have … is the risk of interference with a potentially vulnerable victim,” he said. After the magistrate’s decision, the accused claimed he called the complainant by accident as he did not have his glasses on and was trying to contact someone who could take him to the hospital as he was having an emergency. He will reappear for a committal mention on February 13.