NSW disability advocate Peter George Reurich faces Taree court charged with sexually abusing schoolgirl

A Mid-North Coast man who won a discrimination case against an RSL for denying entry to him and his dog Boofhead has left court swearing, charged with sexually touching a schoolgirl.

Taree Police Station and Courthouse.

A Taree man once described as a disability trailblazer, often seen around town with his support dog, has been charged with sexually abusing a schoolgirl.

Peter George Reurich has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexually touching another person without consent

He has been granted bail with a number of conditions, including that he must not go anywhere near an Aldi supermarket on High St.

Peter George Reurich leaves Taree court with a support dog on December 5.

The alleged sexual offending is claimed to be of a violent nature and involved a female “schoolchild”. police state in court documents.

The offending is alleged to have occurred on September 26 this year.

The 69-year-old made headlines in 2018, when he won a discrimination case against a NSW RSL for denying him and his dog Boofhead entry.

The Jervis Bay RSL was ordered to pay more than $16,000 in damages to Reurich for denying entry, services and eventually membership between late 2014 and mid-2015.

Peter George Reurich and assistance dog Boofhead in 2018.

“Your dog does not meet the basic health and hygiene standards of the club because he has a pungent smell, his coat is all matted and he is visibly dirty,” Mr Reurich was told by an RSL employee according to Justice Brigitte Markovic’s written judgment in 2018.

Reurich now lives in Taree and is well-known in the area. He is often spotted taking a support dog with him to the shops and the library.

His case was raised in Taree Local Court on Tuesday and adjourned for a hearing, estimated to take about three hours, on April 26.

Reurich left court with his dog, swearing and appearing to be agitated.