North Parramatta: Warren Casey court hearing starts after sexual acts charges at Doyle Ground

A court hearing has begun for a man charged with sexual acts at a Sydney sports ground where he is accused of following a girl into a toilet block and targeting women while they exercised.

Witnesses who spoke to a man before he was charged with a string of offences at Doyle Ground, North Parramatta, have told a court about how their conversations with him left them “uncomfortable” and “upset”.

Police allege Mr Casey was on ice, exposed himself to women exercising at the Buller St park and followed a girl into a toilet block on September 30 about 8am.

Police facts allege the unemployed landscaper, who remains in custody, drove to the Buller St ground on the Thursday morning and targeted two women in their 20s and a child.

The 51-year-old allegedly reached into his army cargo pants and carrying out a sex act on himself while looking at the woman for a minute.

Police accused him of pulling down the pants and continuing to touch himself while the public watched.

He was charged with 10 offences in October.

At a hearing at Parramatta Local Court on Monday, Mr Casey’s lawyer, Peter Guirguis, entered guilty pleas on his behalf for carrying out a sexual act with another person without consent and intentionally or recklessly destroy/damage property.

Charges that were withdrawn were: behave in an offensive manner in/near/within view from/within hearing from a public place, intimidate intending to cause fear or physical or mental harm and expose oneself/within view from a public place.

He has pleaded not guilty to stalk or intimidate intending to cause fear of physical or mental harm, peep/pry, carry out sexual act with etc another person without consent, behave in offensive manner in /near/within view from/within hearing of a public place/school and sexually touch another person without consent.

The court heard how Mr Casey allegedly engaged a father in conversation when he waited for his daughter in the toilet block and told him he “likes them (girls) fresh”.

“At that time I got really upset,’’ the dad told the court.

As Mr Casey saw women approaching them, he allegedly told the dad: “Here come some more birds or ‘here come some birds’,’’.

At one point he allegedly said he “pricked’’ one of the women in a sexual act.

The dad alleged one of the women screamed because Mr Casey “pricked” her.

“That’s when I realised that I can’t just walk away and leave this guy here,’’ the man told the court.

“I realised he wasn’t normal, this wasn’t a normal situation and then he referred to the girls as birds and he likes them fresh when he mentioned the young girls.’’

During CCTV footage played in court, Mr Casey was seen entering the toilet block where the man’s daughter was. The father gave evidence he did not notice Mr Casey went inside because he was distracted using his mobile phone.

The dad said he was unsure whether Mr Casey had entered the male or female toilets.

Police facts allege Mr Casey entered the toilet cubicle near, but not immediately next to, the girl where she allegedly heard him making noises and she became scared because of his physical presence.

She fled the toilets when he allegedly said hello after she left the cubicle.

Doyle Ground at North Parramatta.

Her father allegedly told the accused: “I told him that my daughter was in the toilet when he was in there and he said he didn’t know it was my daughter.’’

The dad alleged Mr Casey said: “I like young birds, they are free to fly. I remember him using the word ‘fresh’.

A woman who was on a morning walk also gave evidence and told the court of her awkward encounter with Mr Casey.

She was just a couple of minutes into her walk near the public toilet block when she saw him and the father nearby.

“As I approached him (Mr Casey), he said ‘hi, how are you, I said ‘good thank you’ and continued to walk.’’

She gave evidence that half a minute later, he allegedly followed her and unplugged her earphones to hear him say: “Do you want to fly high? Have you ever flown high?

“I put my hand up and said ‘I’m not interested’ and continued to walk on.’’

“(The conversation made me feel) extremely uncomfortable and unsafe because he approached me and obviously what he said about ‘Do you want to fly high’.

“My initial reaction was drugs, that he was trying to sell me drugs.’’

The court heard how she texted her partner to say she thought she was being sold drugs.

She continued walking and police arrived into her second lap of the ground.

The hearing played more footage and showed Mr Casey’s arrest at Gilbert St, North Parramatta, an hour later, where he sat handcuffed on the kerb.

When police asked him during his arrest captured on body worn footage if he had taken drugs or medication that day, Mr Casey allegedly responded: “Just bird food.’’

The footage showed he failed to walk in a straight line.

He told police he had just been released from hospital two days prior.

He was taken to Westmead Hospital and transferred to Cumberland Hospital before being charged with 10 offences on October 8.

Mr Casey was not called to give evidence.

Bail was not applied for and formally refused.

The hearing before Magistrate Daniel Reiss continues.

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