NSW man charged with sexual intercourse without consent in Alice Springs

A man from NSW’s mid-north coast will be extradited to Alice Springs by Northern Territory detectives after a six-month investigation into an alleged sexual assault.

NT detectives travelled to Sydney to seek the extradition of a man charged with sexual assault. Picture: Glenn Campbell

A man from NSW’s mid-north coast is facing potential life imprisonment after he was charged with a sexual assault in Alice Springs and extradited to the Northern Territory.

The man, aged 28, was charged with sexual intercourse without consent in respect of an alleged assault in Alice Springs in August 2022.

He cannot be further identified as defendants accused of sexual offences in the NT cannot be identified until they are committed for trial.

The court heard the complainant was previously a stranger to the man and the allegations pertain to a single interaction on one day at Alice Springs.

Detectives travelled to Sydney from the Northern Territory to seek the man’s extradition to Alice Springs to face court.

The man appeared at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court. Picture: Nikki Short

Legal Aid solicitor Lucinda Lester applied for the man’s bail to appear in Alice Springs Local Court of his own accord as opposed to being extradited there in the detectives’ custody, saying he intended to defend the charge.

“Given the opportunity to tie up his affairs and make his own way there, he would do that,” Ms Lester told Magistrate Brett Shields at Downing Centre Local Court on Monday.

“He had an interview on August 19 last year with police investigating the matter, he provided a DNA sample and he had no further communications with police after that.”

Ms Lester also told the court the man had been in the Northern Territory from August 10 to 25 last year looking for work for his company and departed on pre-booked flights.

“He was not trying to avoid apprehension, or avoid dealing with the proceedings,” Ms Lester said. “When he was asked to co-operate, he co-operated.”

The court heard the man had a limited history of noncompliance with court orders, described as an arrest warrant in 2019, a bail breach in 2020, a call-up of an existing order in 2021, and a charge of contravening an apprehended violence order.

However, the court also heard the man had complied with an intensive correction order in respect of domestic violence offences without incident.

A NSW Police prosecutor opposing bail in favour of executing the warrant said the man – now facing a potential sentence of life behind bars – had a significant incentive not to appear in court.

At Downing Centre Local Court, Mr Shields granted the extradition warrant for the man to depart with detectives for Alice Springs on a 9.50am flight on Tuesday.

“The nature of the offence is serious and carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment,” Mr Shields said.

“He does have a history of violence and were he to be convicted subject to the charge in the arrest warrant, it seems it would be inevitable he would face a full time custodial sentence, and likely a very long one.”

Mr Shields acknowledged the man had previously co-operated with police, his departure from the Northern Territory was unrelated to any efforts to avoid apprehension, and that he wishes to defend the charge.

The man was due to face Alice Springs Local Court on his arrival in the territory on Tuesday.