Frankston North man Richard Ng, who allegedly stalked Monterey Secondary schoolgirl, stays in jail
The wife of Richard Ng, accused of stalking a 17-year-old girl as she walked to Monterey Secondary College, says she will keep an eye on him if he is bailed. It comes after police allegedly found rope in his van.
South East
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Alleged stalker Richard Ng has again been remanded in custody over charges he followed a frightened Frankston North teenager as she walked to school.
The 38-year-old is accused of stalking the 17-year-old Monterey Secondary College student earlier this year.
He faced the online Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday for a bail application which included a guarantee by the defence that his wife would keep a close eye on him.
But before she could give sworn testimony the link ran out of time so he will have to spend another two weeks behind bars.
Mr Ng, of Frankston North, is being held on charges relating to an alleged incident in Frankston North on February 27 this year.
He is accused of following a young girl down the street in his van before pulling over and asking her if she wanted a lift.
She said no and was allegedly so terrified she sprinted to the school to raise the alarm.
Police then allegedly found short pieces of rope, which they believe could have been used as hand restraints, inside his van.
Mr Ng has been in custody for more than 200 days after he was arrested and remanded the same day of the alleged incident.
His defence lawyer said combined with 90 days of emergency management allowance due to harsh COVID-19 restrictions in prisons he was nearing a total of 300 days spent behind bars.
He said his wife’s guarantee and an expected long delay before his contested hearing date meant he should be released on bail.
He said the defence would also like the opportunity to cross-examine the teenager and there were issues regarding whether the legal definition of stalking had been made out by the prosecution.
Magistrate Timothy Gattuso said there was a possibility a contested hearing could be held online either in December or early January.
He said he needed to hear further evidence, including testimony from Mr Ng’s wife, before making a decision on bail.
Mr Ng was remanded in custody until October 7.
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