Mehrten Puruto: charged with allegedly touching woman as she slept
A young Wollongong man alleged to have broken into a woman’s home, entered her bedroom and touched her as she slept, has been granted bail.
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A young Bellambi man has been charged after he allegedly broke into an East Corrimal home and touched a young woman as she slept.
Mehrten Puruto, 21, was arrested on Sunday evening and charged with two counts of aggravated break and enter, and stalk/intimidate, after he allegedly broke into the woman’s home on at least two occasions last week.
In court documents, police allege the saga began around 8.30am on March 19, when Puruto was seen looking into the front window of the woman’s East Corrimal home.
With an apparent “fixation” for the woman, the court heard Puruto returned to the Murray Road home between Friday, March 20 and Monday, March 23 and allegedly forced his way into the property.
In the early hours of last Tuesday, March 24, police allege in court documents that Puruto returned to the woman’s home, before he allegedly broke in and touched her as she slept.
The woman screamed and chased the man out of the unit, before reporting the incident to police later that day. It’s understood the touching was not of a sexual nature.
Detectives from Wollongong Police District commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incidents.
About 4pm yesterday, detectives attended a home in East Corrimal and arrested Puruto.
Appearing before Magistrate Jillian Kiely on Monday, Puruto was represented by Legal Aid who argued for his release to bail.
Magistrate Kiely granted the application for release, but placed the 21-year-old on strict conditions, including that he only leave the house if accompanied by his mother or father.
He was also banned from entering the East Corrimal area, or contacting the alleged victim, and subjected to electronic monitoring.
After being released from custody on Monday, Puruto left the court screaming “I got bail”, before he was greeted by his mother and father.
He will return to court in June.