An aboriginal man has been accused of sexually assaulting a young girl in bushland near homes in a suburb of Ipswich, Queensland, and giving her drugs.
Queensland Police said they were called to Thomas Street in Blackstone at about 11.30pm on Wednesday night, after reports a 13-year-old girl had allegedly been assaulted by a stranger.
Officers arrived at the scene 10 minutes later, but the alleged offender had already fled in a black Toyota Kluger.
On Friday, the Ipswich Child Protection and Investigation Unit and Ipswich District Intelligence officers found and arrested 41-year-old Ethan Bell at property on Cooneana Street, Bundamba.
Bell was charged with one count of indecent treatment of a child under 16, and one count of supplying dangerous drugs to a minor under 16, and was remanded in custody.
Bell’s case was heard in Ipswich Magistrates Court on Monday where his Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service lawyer asked for the matter to be adjourned as he was waiting for a medical clearance, The Courier Mail reported.
He did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody to face court again on Tuesday.
According to court documents, Bell allegedly gave the girl cannabis, is unemployed, and was born in Ipswich.
Header image: Thomas St in Blackstone (Google Street View).
