Lual Maica: Moe man touched ‘little girl’ on Traralgon bus

The mother of a little girl assaulted by a 35-year-old man on a bus in Traralgon says her daughter has never been the same.

A mother says her little girl’s life has been devastated after a man touched her daughter on a bus in Traralgon.

Lual Maica, 35 of Moe, pleaded guilty to intentionally touching a child under the age of 16-years-old at Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

The court heard the unemployed man commented on the young girl’s breasts, asked her age and rubbed her leg after they boarded the same bus in Traralgon.

In a victim impact statement, the girl’s mother said her daughter “is not the same” after Maica touched her and called her “sexy” on a bus last year.

“Prior to the crime, my daughter was a quiet pre-teenager, she enjoyed school,” she said.

“This all changed from that day.

“My daughter commenced self-harming, became withdrawn, had massive weight loss and has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety.”

The victim also attempted to take her life and was taken to a mental health unit on suicide watch.

The mum said her daughter no longer sees the world “through innocent eyes” and will suffer lifelong effects.

She said her daughter “disfigures her body” to stop anyone looking at her the way Maica did on the bus last year.

The magistrate said the charges against Maica had “terrible consequences”.

“The victim was a little girl,” she said.

“She went from a normal little girl to someone who has harmed herself and ended up needing mental health care.”

Maica will be sentenced on December 22.

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