The 38-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to child abuse-related offences in the ACT Magistrates Court. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to alleged child abuse.
There were concerns that an uncle accused of abusing his five-year-old niece may feel an “urge” to retaliate against members of his family if released from custody, a court has heard.
The 38-year-old was first refused bail when he was arrested and charged in September 2025. He made his third bid to be released when he faced the ACT Magistrates Court again on Wednesday (21 January).
The court heard he was alleged to have been alone with his niece at her home in March 2024 when he showed her a pornography video, made her sit on his lap, touched her inappropriately, then told her not to tell anyone.
Her parents only learned of the allegation involving the video at first and confronted him the following day. The court heard he allegedly became “aggressively defensive”.
Months later, the court heard the man got into a dispute with his ex-partner. The pair exchanged threatening messages before an incident when he allegedly assaulted both her and her new partner.
It was after this incident that his niece’s parents reported her allegations to police and he was charged with grooming, sexual intercourse with a person under 10 and committing an act of indecency on a person under 10. He has entered pleas of not guilty.
Magistrate Ian Temby said what the parents told police was much more serious than what they confronted the man with the day after the alleged offences involving their daughter.
The man’s Legal Aid defence lawyer said her client had been aware of allegations involving his niece from March 2024 and there was no suggestion he had retaliated as a result.
The lawyer said if her client were granted bail, he could live at a home on the NSW South Coast, but prosecutor Harry Wagner, when opposing bail, said police understood the man who lived at this home was the father of an offender currently serving a sentence for child abuse offences in Canberra.
The defence lawyer said this offender wouldn’t become eligible for release until later this year and would be asking to live in Canberra when he applied for parole, so any concerns the prosecutor had about the home on the South Coast were “mere speculation”.
Magistrate Temby said there was little he could do with the concerns in this regard, as it was not known if or when this sentenced offender may return to the home.
But he said the likelihood of the man reoffending or endangering the safety of others, including his niece and her parents, was real, and he refused bail.
The magistrate said he did not have confidence that the man would stay away from his family “if he feels the urge to engage in retaliatory conduct”.
The matter will return to court in February.
The man has been charged separately over the alleged assaults against his ex-partner and her partner, to which he has pleaded not guilty and been committed to the ACT Supreme Court for trial.
If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT on 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call triple zero.
If you have been affected by sexual violence, or someone you know has, you can report it to police by attending a police station or phoning 131 444.
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