An 18-year-old man has been charged following an investigation into a series of alleged aggravated break and enter offences in Merrylands last week.
Between 2am and 6.20am on Thursday, March 6, homes on Elsinore Street, Grace Crescent, Davies Road, and Norma Place in Merrylands were allegedly broken into.
Two of the reported incidents were of a sexual nature against two women, aged in their 80s.
At one of the homes, the man produced a knife and attempted to sexually assault a woman, at a second home he sexually touched another woman.
Officers attached to Cumberland Police Area Command established a crime scene at each location before State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad commenced an investigation under Strike Force Beigy.
Following extensive inquiries, including a public appeal for information, about 1pm yesterday (Monday, March 10), strike force detectives executed a warrant at a home in Merrylands, seizing a number of items relevant to their investigation.
About 5.45pm, investigators arrested an 18-year-old man after he attended Dee Why Police Station.
He was taken to Manly Police Station and charged with 16 offences, which included three counts of ‘aggravated break and enter – commit serious indictable offence – armed’, ‘aggravated sex assault – break and enter with intent’ and two counts of ‘sexually touch another person without consent’.
The Merrylands man was refused bail to appear in Manly Local Court today.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.