Canberra man Dean Roache convicted of harassing Batemans Bay family

A family living on the NSW south coast faced years-long torment before finding a note paired with a dead mouse on their doorstep. Hours later, the same man exposed himself outside a clinic.

A Canberra man who tormented a family living next-door to his NSW south coast holiday home for years left a dead mouse on the doorstep before later exposing himself in a local shopping centre.

Dean Richard Roach, 45, pleaded guilty at the Batemans Bay Local Court on Monday to stalking and intimidating the North Batemans Bay family, as well as exposing himself in public in two separate incidents on July 27.

Roach had visited his mother’s family home north of the popular tourist town since late 2020, but had shown increasingly concerning behaviour towards a woman living next-door, court documents detail.

“Roach would knock on the victim’s door when her husband was at work and ask her for things such as washing items of his clothing or to use the internet,” agreed police documents detail.

“Roach would then watch the victim hanging his clothes on her clotheslines.”

Dean Roach, 45, pleaded guilty at the Batemans Bay Local Court on Monday to stalking and intimidating the North Batemans Bay family, as well as exposing himself in public. Picture: ACT Policing

Later, Roach obtained the woman’s work number and began calling asking for spray tans, or left messages.

Confronted about her son’s behaviour, Roach’s mother told their neighbours “not to worry”, police documents state, and that the unemployed man suffered from ADHD and autistic tendencies.

Following a confrontation between the neighbours on New Year’s Eve 2020, the family’s torment subsided while Roach was in full-time prison in the ACT for similar charges of indecent exposure and stalking.

Following his arrest, upkeep on Roach’s mother’s holiday home lapsed, leading the victim’s husband to begin mowing the lawn, while also erecting a partial fence between the homes and parking their caravan on the lot.

Roach returned to the holiday home upon parole release.

On July 27 this year, the victim saw Roach approaching her front door, running to lock it before he arrived.

“The victim watched Roach bend down low towards the ground, near the base of the front door,” police state.

“The woman was on the phone to her husband and asked him to return home immediately.”

CitiCentre Shopping Arcade Batemans Bay. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

Roach left and the victim checked the front door, discovering a note taped to the bottom of the door.

“Directly underneath the note was the bottom half of a dead mouse, cut in half at the middle” police state.

“The note read: ‘Move your campervan off my property. You never asked my mother’s permission, otherwise I will move it. Your next door neighbours’.”

The victim took the note and the dead mouse as a threat and phoned police.

Her husband removed the campervan to avoid any other confrontation with Roach.

Only hours later, Roach was seen loitering outside the Citi Arcade in Batemans Bay.

Standing outside the South Coast Spinal Centre, Roach was seen by staff removing his penis from his shorts.

“The witness called out to the patients not to look outside and for a work colleague to come help,” police state.

“Roach put his penis back in his shorts (and) pushed open the door and asked the witness: ‘Do you bulk bill?’

“The witness was shocked at the audacity of Roach.

“He was told, ‘no’, and left towards Orient St.”

A male staff member took off after Roach, but was unable to find him.

CCTV footage from a neighbouring business recorded him leaving the arcade.

Returning to the holiday home, Roach waved towards his female neighbour.

NSW Police approached Roach, who lives in Holt in the ACT, the following month to return to the state for arrest, but he declined.

He was later taken into custody at Queanbeyan Police Station.

Roach has an extensive criminal history in the ACT, but no record in NSW.

He will appear at Queanbeyan Local Court later this year for sentencing.