By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
A NARRE Warren man deemed by court as a “unacceptable risk” has been remanded in custody after being charged with eight counts of stalking and indecent exposure to children while on bail.
Kenneth Robert Irwin, who cares for his wife in a caravan park, had been charged with the alleged offences at Foster police station on Australia Day.
Irwin, 66, had been on bail, awaiting sentencing in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday) over three proven charges of indecent acts in the presence of children.
Senior Constable Eva Morphett of Greater Dandenong police’s sexual offences and child abuse investigation team told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court that she sought to revoke Irwin’s bail after hearing about the recent charges.
She said Irwin was accused of stimulating himself “half-sitting and half-standing” in the open front passenger side of his parked car in view of two girls, aged six and seven, and a four-year-old boy in a home’s front yard in Toora, east of Foster, on 26 January about 10.45am.
At 2.30pm, Irwin allegedly exposed himself from within “loose, short” shorts as he sat on a rock and talked to two children, aged eight and nine, about their dog in a Toora playground.
When the children fled home, they found Irwin parked outside their house.
He was allegedly seen by the children stimulating himself within the car’s open front passenger door.
Senior Constable Morphett said Irwin had also been bailed on the recent charges because Bass police detectives were unaware he was on bail.
She said Irwin had no relevant prior convictions but she was concerned his offences were “escalating”, involving strangers and following children to their homes.
She said “quite a lot of children” lived at the caravan park where Irwin has resided for 27 years.
“There were prior matters alleged but they didn’t proceed to court due to a lack of evidence.”
On Monday, magistrate Julie O’Donnell at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court refused to grant bail to Irwin who was charged with committing an indictable offence while “awaiting trial” on bail.
Irwin’s lawyer Ian Hone had argued against that charge.
Mr Hone said it was a “corruption of the language” to say his client had been awaiting trial at the time of the alleged offences; he was instead awaiting sentencing.
In dismissing Mr Hone’s arguments, Ms O’Donnell said: “Even if you’re correct, and I strongly doubt it… (police) are still saying he’s an unacceptable risk (of re-offending).”
