A 19-year-old man who allegedly held an 11-year-old boy against his will in a Bunbury shopping centre public toilet must follow strict bail conditions before returning to court in January.
The man, whose name has been suppressed to protect the victim, appeared before Bunbury Magistrates Court on Thursday, November 25, accompanied by his lawyer and a support worker.
It was alleged that on Tuesday, November 23 he held the boy in a public toilet at Dalyellup Shopping Centre and assaulted him three times.
Police charged the man with deprivation of liberty, indecent dealing of a child under 13 years and three charges of aggravated assault.
He was released on bail.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Darren Clifton asked the judge to revoke the bail for the man's own protection, due to the man self harming after being taken into custody.
But due to the man's intellectual disabilities, including autism disorder, ADHD and a "chromosomal abnormality", Magistrate Belinda Coleman denied.
This was based on the man being "deemed unsuitable" to go to Hakea Prison in Perth, as well as Graylands Mental Health Hospital in Mount Claremont.
The prosecution also raised the issue that the man was under the supervision of a female support worker at the time of the incident, which meant he had gone to the public toilet unaccompanied.
The man was reminded of his bail conditions which are to remain in the care of a registered support worker at all times; not to go within 500 metres of the shopping centre; and to continue to live at his current home address.
Magistrate Coleman also added two protective bail conditions, which she reminded the man that if he breached he would go "straight to prison".
The man is not to be within 200 metres of the child and within 100 metres of any place where the child lives/goes to school, nor have contact with any children unless his support worker is present.
The matter will return to the Bunbury Magistrates Court on January 13, 2022.