Man denied bail after alleged sexual assault of 13yo west of Brisbane

A 41-year-old man charged over the alleged assault of a teenage girl at Ipswich, west of Brisbane, has been refused bail. Police allege Bundamba man Ethan Bell assaulted the girl, who was not known to him, in bushland in the suburb of Blackstone around 11:30pm last Wednesday but drove off before police arrived. Queensland Police were called to the incident on Thomas Street at Blackstone on October 14 to reports a teenage girl had been assaulted. Two days later, he was found at a home in Bundamba and was charged with one count each of indecent treatment of children under 16 and supplying dangerous drugs to a minor under 16 years. Mr Bell appeared in the Ipswich Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning via video link. His lawyer, Nicolas Fisher, applied for bail on Mr Bell's behalf. "He's at minimal risk of failing to appear, he has a gap in his history since 2023, I believe," Mr Fisher told the court. "He's at minimal risk of reoffending." The man's lawyer proposed several bail conditions including a curfew and reporting multiple times a week. Bail was opposed by prosecutors on the grounds Mr Bell presented an unacceptable risk of reoffending and a risk to the community and the victim. In refusing bail, Magistrate Grace Kalhert described the alleged offending as "concerning". The judge said it is alleged that after Mr Bell located the 13-year-old girl, he offered her a lift home and "compelled her to take drugs" before he sought to indecently assault her. "I can't be satisfied … that any condition I place on his bail will reduce the risk of him reoffending." Mr Bell was remanded in custody and will reappear in the Ipswich Magistrates Court tomorrow. [Image text:] WARNING Castle Hill Blackstone Reserve