Man charged with sexual assault of a young girl

The man accused of raping an 11-year-old girl in North Melbourne has remained emotionless as he fronted court over the alleged attack.

A man has fronted court accused of the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl in North Melbourne on Thursday.

Salmanul Abdullah fronted the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday afternoon where he was officially charged with one count of rape.

Mr Abdullah, 31, appeared from Melbourne West police station in a white disposable jumpsuit and remained silent throughout the brief administrative hearing.

His lawyer told the court Mr Abdullah, of North Melbourne, had a history of substance abuse and his status as a refuge placed him in a vulnerable position in custody.

He made no application for bail and will remain behind bars until his next court appearance on October 20.

No further details of the alleged offending, which police say occurred at Boundary Road near Racecourse Road about 2pm on Thursday, were revealed in court.

The parties did confirm, however, Mr Abdullah and his alleged victim were not known to each other.

The court also heard there was an application to revoke Mr Abdullah’s bail, however no further details were provided and the application was adjourned to the same date as his committal mention.

Police at the scene following the alleged incident. Picture 7News

Originally published as Man charged with sexual assault of a young girl