Girl, 7, allegedly lured from Macquarie Fields home by man
A man charged over allegedly luring a seven-year-old girl to an abandoned house, locking the door and taking her jumper off is on the child protection register, a court has heard. Within hours of Christopher Irwin’s court appearance, graffiti artists defaced a ute on the street — writing “mutt dog” and “gronk dog”.
A man accused of luring a seven-year-old girl who was rollerblading into an abandoned Sydney house and taking off her jumper is on the child protection register and has been convicted of possessing child pornography, a court has heard.
Christopher Irwin, 34, is accused of enticing the girl closer on a quiet cul-de-sac in Sydney’s southwest on Friday afternoon by asking “do you want to see something cool?”.
Police allege while in the Macquarie Fields house he removed the child’s jumper and said “be quiet and wait for your Nan to go and I’ll let you go”.
The girl’s grandmother was in her nearby front yard at the time of the incident.
However a witness allegedly raised the alarm, and two men aged in their 20s along with the girl’s grandmother entered the house and restrained a man and took him outside until police arrived about 4pm.
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Neighbours said the man’s face was covered in blood when he was escorted out of the house.
Irwin appeared in Parramatta Bail Court today, charged with taking a child with intent to remove parental control and other offences.
Within hours of Irwin’s court appearance where he was denied bail, a white ute in the cul-de-sac had been defaced with spray-painted words including “mutt dog” and “gronk dog”.
In court, Magistrate Annette Sinclair said “the facts related to this matter are both disturbing and concerning”.
The court heard Irwin, who was handcuffed and wore a grey hoodie and glasses, had previously been convicted for accessing child pornography.
Ms Sinclair said the concern around granting Irwin bail was heightened because of his history and that the was on the child protection register.
Anyone convicted of a serious offence against a child in NSW, including in relation to child pornography, is placed on the Child Protection Register.
The register allows police to keep tabs on child sex offenders, including their address, car registration, social media accounts and employment.
But the register is not, unlike some countries, made public so communities are unaware if a registered person is living in their street.
Irwin’s partner, 37-year-old mother of two Amanda Thompson, said he had Asperger’s syndrome and works a lot.
“I’m shocked really,” Ms Thompson said.
“He works a lot. He is caring and he looks after me. He plays with young children. He is young himself.”
The girl’s grandmother said she “is okay” but “still doesn’t understand the seriousness of it; she is only seven”.
“You talk to your child about stranger danger. You think that your kid understands stranger danger, they don’t. That has been drummed into her for years and years.”
She did not witness the kidnapping herself.
“It happened literally in ten minutes,” she said.
“It was so quick. My granddaughter was at home. My mum and me were sitting in our front yard.”
Asked about the two men, aged in their 20s, who helped rescue her granddaughter, she said: “Not all heroes wear capes, they are my heroes.”
The grandmother also had some stern words for her online critics.
“For all those people that say where is the supervision — everyone in the street can verify — I sit in my yard when my kids ride the bikes,” she said.
“They are only allowed up half of the street. We let them here, we all watch.”
Irwin’s legal aid solicitor Dean Fernandez applied for bail and said he had a mild intellectual disability and could stay with family in Macquarie Fields.
However, Ms Sinclair found he posed a danger to the community and refused bail. The case was adjourned to Wednesday at Campbelltown Local Court.
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