Jordan Gareth Jones: Katanning man accused of breaking into home and indecently assaulting young girl

A man accused of indecently assaulting a young girl after sneaking into her family’s Katanning home allegedly kissed her on the head and said he would “see her in the morning” before fleeing, a court has heard. Jordan Gareth Jones appeared in Albany Magistrates Court on Thursday morning on 12 charges, including four of indecent dealings with a child under 13 years. Police prosecutor Sgt Peter Yuswak told the court Mr Jones entered the house through a rear sliding door in the early hours of Wednesday and “rummaged” through several rooms. It is alleged Mr Jones stole seven Samsung Galaxy tablets from a bedroom and a Lenovo tablet from the kitchen, before discovering the young girl in the lounge. Sgt Yuswak said Mr Jones crouched in front of the girl, who was asleep on the couch with her siblings, waking her up. He is then believed to have fled to another room before returning to the lounge — where he allegedly assaulted the girl. Police say the 27-year-old then went into the kitchen and took the keys to the family’s car, before returning again to the lounge, kissing the girl on the forehead and saying: “I’ll see you in the morning.” Mr Jones then allegedly drove the car from the top to the bottom of the driveway, before abandoning it and running away. The court heard the girl alerted her parents to the assault, causing her father to run to the front of the house where he allegedly saw Mr Jones fleeing. CCTV footage from a neighbouring house also captured a man matching Mr Jones’ description leaving at 12.40am. He was arrested on Wednesday wearing the same clothes seen on the CCTV footage and was allegedly in possession of a backpack containing three of the Samsung tablets stolen from the home. Sgt Yuswak told the court Mr Jones should remain in custody, saying Katanning was a “small country town” and there was a concern for public safety. He described the alleged offences as “serious in nature” and said a term of imprisonment would be “highly likely” if Mr Jones was convicted. Mr Jones told Magistrate Kevin Tavener he wanted to plead guilty to stealing a “bike and notepads” but had done “nothing else”. “Your honour I would never touch another man’s kids, I’ve got my own girls, you know,” he said. He also told Mr Tavener he wanted to represent himself in court. Mr Jones was refused bail and is due back in Albany Magistrates Court on December 15.