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Friday 10 January 2014

Guildford Toilet Block Assault on Sisters: Parents Were Nearby

The story of the day is, sadly, this distressing one.


A six year old girl was trying to help her two year old sister to the bathroom during a family picnic at a park in Guildford, in Sydney's west, when a man followed the girls into the public toilet block and sexually assaulted them, police say.

As reported in The Sydney Morning Herald online, detectives from the Child Abuse Squad are scouring footage from CCTV cameras at businesses and homes surrounding Campbell Hill Pioneer Reserve to try to identify the predator who attacked the sisters about 1.30pm on Thursday.

Guildford attack. Screen shot from 'Today', by Josie's Juice


Acting Superintendent Peter Yeomans, the commander of the Child Abuse Squad, said the girls' parents were a short distance away when the pair walked into the public toilet block together.

Said the article: "They [the family] are very, very deeply stressed by what has occurred to them and to their children," acting Superintendent Yeomans said.

The girls have been examined at Westmead Children's Hospital and are receiving counselling, while the older sister has been interviewed by police.


She told detectives that the assault took a long time, acting Superintendent Yeomans said.

"Their concept of time is quite different to probably an adult's concept of time. I would say it could have taken a few minutes, but that would be more guessing than anything. But to a child, how they explained it to the investigators last night, it took a considerable amount of time," he said.

"The little six-year-old is still very upset by what occurred. The little two-year-old, when it did occur, was very upset, was crying."

He said the girls' parents and extended family were close by, and should not be blamed for what had happened.

"I'd like to say right upfront that we shouldn't put any sort of blame or any sort of inference as to what family or the parents of anyone did in these circumstances," he said.

"They're very good parents. It's the middle of the day, it's school holidays, there's plenty of people around."

Acting Superintendent Yeomans said it was a very unusual offence, and police were using all the necessary resources to find the offender.

Read more here.


Police are searching for a man with black hair, an average-to-thin build and wearing a black jacket and blue shorts. He is described a being of Middle Eastern or Mediterranean appearance, with black hair. He’s reportedly around 165cm tall (or 5ft 4″) and aged in his 30s.

Contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 with any info you may have.


Deeply distressing stuff.

Have you had a conversation about this kind of attack with your children?

It has prompted me to speak to my daughter about this, in language she can understand.

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