83-year old Springfield Lakes man, Jan Ali Alimi accused of rape, sexual assault

An 83-year-old man alleged to have committed multiple sexual assault offences has faced court for the first time, but an administrative issue meeant the case had to be adjourned.

Ipswich Courthouse. Picture: Cordell Richardson

A Springfield Lakes man facing three charges of sexual assault and one charge of rape has had a bail application adjourned as an interpreter could not be organised.

Jan Ali Alimi, 83 of Springfield Lakes is alleged to have approached multiple women in public places before assaulting them.

Mr Alimi, who was denied police bail, was charged on Saturday November, 18 with three counts of sexual assault and one count of rape.

It is alleged Mr Alimi indecently assaulted, raped and procured a woman without their consent to witness an act of gross indecency in Oxley on September, 23.

Mr Alimi also allegedly indecently assaulted a second victim in Springfield Lakes on October, 31.

The court heard Mr Alimi did not speak a word of English and required an interpreter for the Hazaraqi language, a dialect of the Farsi language spoken primarily in the Hazarat region of central Afghanistan.

Magistrate Melanie Ho said no interpreter had been booked for the proceedings, so the matter could not be heard.

The court also heard Mr Alimi was suffering from either a cognitive impairment, dementia or delirium.

Speaking from the public gallery, member of Mr Alimi’s family said there would not be any risk of reoffending or reaching out to the aggrieved because Mr Alimi was not aware he had allegedly committed an offences.

“There’s also a misunderstanding between the cultural differences. There might have been a misunderstanding,” Mr Alimi’s family said.

Mr Alimi is yet to enter a plea to any of the charges.

The matter was adjourned to November, 22 and will be heard at the Richlands Magistrate Court.