A WEST Australian man has faced the ACT Magistrates Court on child abuse charges dating back to the late 1980s.
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The 59-year-old man from Coogee, 7km south of Freemantle, is a hospital nurse who works with children. He is accused of indecently assaulting and having unlawful intercourse with his former step-daughter - then aged seven - while living in the ACT between 1989 and 1991.
He was yesterday charged with two counts of unlawful sex with a child under the age of 10 and five counts of indecently assaulting a child under the age of 10.
The defendant denied the charges, saying he had never been approached by police about the issue and had routinely submitted his details for mandatory police background checks as a person who works with children as part of his employment as a nurse at a Freemantle hospital.
A police witness told the court the man had used a caravan park he could not be found at as his residential address.
A random traffic stop by WA police on Christmas Day revealed an outstanding warrant for his arrest, with the man then being brought to the ACT to face court.
The defendant was denied bail by Magistrate Beth Campbell on the basis he posed a flight risk unless able to find someone willing to post surety. He has been remanded in custody for two weeks to allow both his defence team and police to gather documentation and further information. He will next appear in court on January 16.